WEDDING venue bosses are desperate to give brides and grooms their perfect day and provide work for staff – but doubts remain over when that will happen.
Firms in Oldham are hoping all coronavirus restrictions will be removed on Monday, June 21, which will allow large gatherings to take place.
But following a rise in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, there have been calls for the government to think about delaying that date, making planning for events such as weddings is very difficult.
Managing director of The Eastern Pavilion on Featherstall Road South, Adeel Saleem, said "It is a nightmare to plan with all the uncertainties. We have got a lot of bookings and we will be very busy in the next six months as long as restrictions are lifted.
"We are booked from June 23 and will pretty much be non stop until around September but all the events are conditional to the restrictions being lifted.
"A lot of people have had to cancel their wedding two or three times, some customers are desperate to get married.
"The weddings are out bread and butter.
"It will be borderline for us if things do not reopen. It will be difficult and people could lose their jobs.
"A lot of people all over the north west come to Oldham for weddings, I think it has a massive impact on the town's economy."
The Eastern Pavilion
Mark Hopkins runs The Stables Wedding Farm in Delph, which also offers rooms, with his wife Deborah after opening it in August 2019.
They have not been able to host a wedding yet.
Mark said: "At the moment we have four events planned after June 21, three weddings and a wellbeing yoga festival.
"We are working on the premise that things are going to be unlocked. We have very nervous brides and grooms waiting with baited breath.
"We have to keep our fingers crossed."
The Stables Wedding Venue
Manager of Werneth Suite on Manchester Road, Imran Zafar, wants more "clarity" from the government about the restrictions.
He said: “We have only taken provisional bookings with the pressure that comes with things like deposits.
"We have had so many calls asking for information but nothing more has been provided to us. We have been closed since March 2020 and I think we have been the worst affected type of hospitality business during the pandemic."
Werneth Suite
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