Invite to the wedding of Binita Dave and William Stanley with the date changed by hand from Saturday 30 May 2020 to Sunday 30 May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people had to cancel or postpone significant life events like weddings. Binita and Will’s wedding was due to be held on Saturday 30 May 2020, but by this point the UK was two months into the first national lockdown (March – June 2020). This was the strictest lockdown in the UK and people were only able to leave their homes for a few essential reasons. Large gatherings like weddings were not able to take place during this lockdown or any of the two subsequent national lockdowns. However, even when lockdown restrictions were not in place, social distancing regulations often severely limited large events like weddings. Many people initially postponed their weddings for a year. However, the social distancing regulations in May 2021 limited events like weddings to a maximum of 30 guests, causing many couples to postpone again.

The postponements and the changing regulations also had a significant impact on the wedding industry. Many businesses had serious financial difficulties while they waited for it to be possible to hold weddings again.