DECIDING THE DATE IN THE CURRENT CLIMATE

​So – you got engaged! Congratulations! Or you’ve had to make a painful decision to stall wedding plans during lockdown. However, the sun is out and we are all beginning to plan life after lockdown, which means planning a 2021 wedding is once again possible.
Obviously there are a few changes and one of your main concerns is what if you have to cancel or postpone at late notice. New wedding insurance policies have virtually disappeared, so be very clear with your venue what their policy is on your payment schedule and what they offer in the case of the need to postpone, cancel or reduce numbers due to government guidelines as well as your own concerns due to Covid.
At Wingfield Barns we are straightforward:

• You may cancel with a full refund within 1 calendar month of your booking. 
• You may postpone at any stage or if you are within one calendar month of your booking.
• We will switch you to a discounted rate should your numbers have to reduce due to a change in government guidelines dictating numbers below the number you had booked.

For example you had booked the Great Barn for 100 people and government guidelines come into effect to advise social distancing bubbles meant you can only accommodate 50. In this case we would switch your rate to the special reduced number rate.

From August 15th 2020 the number allowed at weddings and receptions is 30. This includes catering staff, so you might want to consider a menu that includes a plated starter and then a buffet to keep staff numbers lower.
Government details on small weddings can be found here.
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​Smaller numbers can be a good thing. You get to spend time with all your lovely guests, and budget-wise you may have a little more to spend per head.  Wingfield Barns has a special package to suit small numbers, with prices from £600.00
So that’s the uncertainly sorted. The next thing (of many) things you’ll be thinking of is when you would like your wedding? Winter, Summer, Autumn or Spring? Summer Fridays and Saturdays are popular so you’ll need to allow lead time – venues can be booked up years in advance and having to catch up on 2020, despite uncertainly does not necessarily mean availability. However, it is always worth checking, especially if you can be flexible as there will be one or two cancellations.
If you want an Autumn or Winter wedding you will find more availability although Christmastime also gets booked up. We suggest you avoid a Christmas week wedding, with so many family plans that week it can be tricky getting all your invited guests to attend.
Consider a Thursday or midweek wedding since rates are usually discounted, and if your friends and family are happy to make it a mini-break and take a day off work.

2021 weddings may involve shorter ceremonies & include restrictions on things like cash bars. Knowing what your wedding reception will look like can help you plan, so don’t be afraid to ask for all these details as you book.
At Wingfield Barns for peace of mind we currently ensure there is a minimum 72 hour break between bookings, and are happy to provide bride and grooms with our deep cleaning schedule, and of course there are well signposted cleaning stations with sanitiser and wipes at events.
We do remote show rounds and follow up with Zoom meetings so that all the arrangements can be put in place as if you were having a face to face meeting.
So if you are thinking of Wingfield Barns for your wedding reception and have any questions, please feel free to give us a call or come for a socially distanced viewing.
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Good luck with your planning.

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