A couple from Cardiff claim that their wedding plans are in tatters, following an announcement by the government regarding next year’s early May Bank Holiday.
The bank holiday will be held four days earlier than usual in 2020, so it will fall on a Friday instead of the usual Monday. It has been moved because of the 75th anniversary of VE Day, which will be commemorated over the long weekend via a series of nationwide events.
Many people book their weddings way in advance of the date, however, so the couple affected say they are concerned about the attendance of their guests. They had deliberately chosen a bank holiday for their nuptials so that their friends and family could attend, as many of them are teachers or work in the entertainment business.
Having paid hundreds of pounds’ worth of deposits and sent wedding invitations to in excess of 100 guests, the Cardiff couple are understandably concerned that they face a stark choice between losing a large sum of money – or having very few guests to witness them tying the knot.
While they’re not questioning the reason behind the move, the couple argue that the government should have given the public more than 11 months’ notice.
The May Bank holiday has been moved once before, in 1995, also because of VE Day. The 50th anniversary took place that year, which means that the change was then due to the same reason as next year’s rescheduled holiday.