The UK Weddings Taskforce was formed in 2020 to address challenges experienced by UK wedding businesses as a result of Covid-19 restrictions. The Taskforce brought the wedding industry together to an extent that had never previously been achieved, and set out a proposal to the government asking for financial support for wedding businesses across the country.
The Taskforce was pivotal in helping wedding businesses throughout the covid pandemic. It was disbanded early in 2023 and replaced by the UK Wedding Association in 2025. This article sets out what formation of the Taskforce meant for wedding businesses, and the longer term impact it had on the UK wedding industry.
What were the main requests to the government?
The three first priorities identified by the UK Weddings Taskforce and presented to Minister Paul Scully were:
- Financial: A cash grant and access to longer term financial help
- Consumer confidence: A "roadmap" to show how and when weddings will re-start
- Removal of roadblocks: Help with conversations with banks, the CMA and insurers
Why was this more relevant than previous meetings with the government?
Numerous groups and individualshad many meetings with the government over the previous 8 months, however each was representing a different part of the industry or different viewpoint, with conflicting solutions. In November, when the petition was heard in Parliament for guest numbers to be linked to capacity, Minister Scully asked the wedding industry to unite behind one clear message. The UK Weddings Taskforce was formed democratically with representatives from every wedding sector. The government know that solutions being put forward will help the entire industry.
Who was responsible for forming UK Weddings Taskforce?
Sarah Haywood and Richard Eagleton led the formation of the UK Weddings Taskforce and were elected Spokesperson and Secretariat.
Venue operator Mark Godfrey was elected Chair, with Alison Hargreaves as Vice-Chair, ensuring that all businesses were represented.
A number of subcommittees were formed, with elected heads of each group.
What types of concerns were addressed by the Taskforce
The Taskforce consulted with ministers on a number of wedding-related topics to ensure that the sector was supported and that couples from all demographics could have meaningful weddings at the first opportunity. The following are examples of the challenges that were discussed.
Will dancing and other restricted activities be allowed?
The Taskforce proposed that the government agree on what a "minimum viable wedding" consists of. This would assist in many areas, including giving clarity on when a contract is frustrated and potentially allowing certain wedding businesses to access grants for "closed" sectors.
Will my business get financial support?
Scotland secured £15m in financial grants at an early stage. The Taskforce requested £680m for distribution across the UK on the basis that a grant of up to £10,000 would make a significant difference to the majority of wedding businesses.
However, this type of cash grant would be a drop in the ocean for larger businesses and particularly the venues, catering and marquee companies who have significant ongoing overheads. A number of creative solutions, including access to existing grants, loans and support schemes and extension of the JRS and business rate relief schemes, were proposed to assist those businesses. It was also proposed that all wedding businesses should have access to the 5% VAT rate, not just those classed as hospitality businesses.
Will there be help with cancellations and refunds
Consumer confidence was a high priority for the Taskforce and part of that was ensuring that both businesses and consumers will be treated fairly and reasonably. The Taskforce has asked for the Minister's help in discussions with banks, insurers and the CMA to assist with this. Alison Hargreaves broadcasted regular updates on social media, with live Q & A sessions after every government update.
We recognised that a lot of the financial issues businesses are experiencing were as a result of misleading information from the CMA, failure from insurers to settle claims from couples or businesses, and banks and insurers refusing to take on any new risk.
The following press release announced the launch of the UK Weddings Taskforce in 2020
824,000 UK WEDDINGS IN THE PIPELINE AS THE INDUSTRY ASKS MINISTERS “SUPPORT US NOW OR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY LOSES OUT”
Nearly one million weddings are in the post-pandemic pipeline, with an estimated boost to the economy of £43 billion over the next two years. 95% of couples have postponed rather than cancel their weddings. To realise this potential, government support is required to save the 60,000 businesses (employing 400,000 people) who have been largely unable to work since March 2020. 50 million people in the UK are likely to attend a wedding by the end of 2022. UK Weddings Taskforce – the official body designated to negotiate with the government – has called for a “perfectly reasonable and economically viable” financial support bridge to ensure the demand in weddings can be met.
The weddings sector, paralysed by the restrictions imposed as a result of the pandemic, has been unable to trade in any commercially viable form since March 2020. Currently weddings are prohibited. Many businesses report catastrophic losses and over three quarters of businesses have reported revenues down by over 75% (Source UK Weddings Survey).
Unlike other sectors, however, the majority (95%) of consumers have postponed rather than cancel their weddings with 220,000 UK weddings postponed since the first lockdown. With 475,000 weddings currently scheduled to take place in 2021, including 196,500 postponed from 2020, the industry is predicted to generate £25 billion for the UK economy in 2021. The sector is asking government for assistance and assurances to restore consumer confidence in businesses with a financial support bridge, and to provide clarity on a safe and realistic opening up of weddings from Easter to larger numbers now that the vaccine offers light at the end of the tunnel.
Having successfully made the case that business has not been lost but merely deferred, the recently formed, industry-appointed UK Weddings Taskforce is now officially representing the sector. It has been engaging in two-way communication with government via the Minister for Small Business, Paul Scully MP, and his department (BEIS).
The UK Weddings Taskforce is meeting with government Monday and urgently seeking:
- A financial support bridge for wedding businesses of £680m.
- Clarity for venues, businesses and couples with weddings in the pipeline between now and the summer.
- Measures to restore couples' confidence in resuming their wedding planning for 2021 and beyond.
- Solutions to roadblocks in the way for couples and businesses that include insurers refusing to offer couples weddings insurance.
KEY FACTS about the UK wedding sector, published by the Taskforce in January 2021
Number of Weddings across the UK:
- 278,599 weddings occur every year in the UK (figures from the Offices of National Statistics for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland)
- Over 260,000 weddings were postponed due to the pandemic in 2020 (based upon ONS average figures)
- Businesses responding last week to a survey by the UK Weddings Taskforce reported catastrophic losses, with over three quarters of businesses have reported revenues down by over 75%*
- An estimated 278,000 recently engaged couples are also planning to marry from 2021 onwards: when added to the postponed weddings from 2020, circa 475,000 weddings are in the 2021 pipeline (25bn) and 349,000 are in the 2022 pipeline (circa £18.4bn)
Wedding Industry Worth:
- There is an estimated £14.7bn direct spend on weddings every year:
- £9.4bn spend on the day itself
- £3.2bn spend on retail
- £2.1bn travel, tourism and pre-wedding events
Wedding Industry Workers:
- Approximately 400,000 workers are involved in weddings:
- 250,000 people depend on work related to delivering a wedding day itself
- 150,000 more work in support functions
- For every couple who attends a wedding as a guest, depending upon the size of the wedding between 1 and 4 people are involved in working to deliver the day itself, earning less than £25,000 per year on average.
- Majority female-driven, ethnically diverse and 50% small and micro businesses.
*UK Weddings Taskforce Survey of over 3000 wedding businesses Dec 24th 2020 – 12th Jan 2021
The Taskforce announces a merge with UK Hospitality
The Taskforce has spent the last 5 months in conversation with UKH to create a sector within the organisation to cater for the wedding industry, covering topics such as sustainability, workforce development and staffing, supply chain, licensing, business rates and VAT. Unlike the UK Weddings Taskforce that was run entirely by elected volunteers, UKH have paid full-time staff and an established structure which means they have the time and ability to raise issues consistently that affect the industry.
Key learnings from the UK Taskforce are carried forward by the UK Wedding Association in 2025
The merger with UK Hospitality was not as successful as hoped. Only a handful of businesses, primarily wedding venues, were comfortable paying the £500 annual membership fee to UKH for industry representation.
In 2025, the not-for-profit UK Wedding Association was launched by the wedding industry, for the wedding industry. It's Advisory Board was primarily members of the original UK Weddings Taskforce, with the Code of Conduct developed by the Taskforce adopted by the new association.