Following the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Government has today announced that wedding receptions for up to 30 people will be allowed from next month which has been welcomed by the wedding industry. Currently, up to two families can attend a wedding reception if held indoors or up to six people from different households if outdoors.
If a couple would like to cancel their wedding reception due to this 30 person limit, they would be able to do so if they can demonstrate that this significantly changes the nature of the reception beyond what could reasonably have been contemplated when they first entered the contract. For example, if couples were expecting to have 100 people attend a reception and only 30 can attend, it could be argued that the reception is significantly different to what the couple contemplated at the time of entering the agreement and the contract could be considered “frustrated” and so terminated.
If a couple can demonstrate that a wedding reception contract has been frustrated, it is possible to recover the monies paid under the contract subject to any reasonable expenses incurred by the supplier.
Couples should always carefully check the cancellation terms in their contract before cancelling their contracts.
