To have limited sympathy for this couple

They could well have booked it a year ago - who would have imagined we'd be where we are today.

I think that as weddings often have to be booked well in advance plus the flights at what is always a very busy time, that they thought Covid might have been sorted by now, friends of ours also have a large wedding taking place over Christmas with all the family staying at the venue, I hope they are able to go ahead.
Personally I wouldnt have risked it, but people are trying ( or were) trying to get back to some kind of normality.
Maybe the couple were contacted by the Newspapers and offered their comments rather than phoned up to complain.

If the predictions are correct everything will be closed down on the 27th Dec so the problem will go away. In any case most airlines have a rebooking policy at present (maybe not Ryanair).

Tough luck on them. Tough luck on lots of people who don’t moan and rant. People have cancelled their wedding twice, dgs hasn’t been christened, but just grateful to be alive.

Well, I have empathy for anyone who is upset at 'their time' because it matters to them at that time. When did so many people come so 'care less'?

Riverwalk

They could well have booked it a year ago - who would have imagined we'd be where we are today.

I think a year ago we were waking up to the realisation that any plans for the future might have to be flexible to say the least.
Not do I think it is being “uncaring” to suggest that maybe that was a risky plan in the first place.
My (pessimistic) gut feeling now is that with 125 guests invited, the statistical likelihood of 25 of them having to cancel because of their own Covid status might have taken care of it anyway.
But 125 guests plus the bride and room, parents etc in an enclosed space? Really? Wishful thinking
By NY Eve the whole shebang might be banned - sadly, a situation many couples have found themselves in over the last 22 months.

Bride and Groom ! Bliddy autocorrect!

Booking anything is risky. Some are prepared to take that risk and others not. I am with the latter ( despite really wanting a holiday).
Of course it’s disappointing but in these uncertain times we all know rules can and are changed in an instant.

love0c

Well, I have empathy for anyone who is upset at 'their time' because it matters to them at that time. When did so many people come so 'care less'?

I said my sympathy was limited, not ghat I couldn't care less. But on a morning when many people are facing the fact that their jobs are gone or their business is at risk, and our hospital ICU units are struggling it seems a bit tone deaf to be talking about 'purgatory' to a national newspaper because the number of guests at your destination wedding has to be reduced.

As someone, whose daughter's wedding was supposed to take place in March 2020 on the first day of lockdown, with only a few day's notice, I can understand the disappointment of this couple.
When we booked the wedding, we had no idea what lay ahead.
There is nothing you can do, but make the best of things.

My daughter ended up getting married in our garden with just us, her brother and his fiancée present.
What mattered to my DD and SIL was being married, not the the fuss which normally goes with it. I have never seen her so happy.

However, it depends on when the wedding was booked by the couple mentioned in the OP. It could have been booked before the pandemic. If not, what on earth were they thinking about?

I think all weddings should stick to 30 guests, the amount of money often spent on weddings nowadays is ludicrous, especially as many barely last long enough to pay the debt taken on to pay for it. Keep the big party for the 10th anniversary.

M0nica

I think all weddings should stick to 30 guests, the amount of money often spent on weddings nowadays is ludicrous, especially as many barely last long enough to pay the debt taken on to pay for it. Keep the big party for the 10th anniversary.

That is another point altogether and entirely separate from OP’s question.
Why the arbitrary figure of 30 anyway?
Not every wedding incurs huge debt- many young couples, their families and their friends provide much of the reception themselves-reception venues can be gardens, barns, any large indoor space or outdoor space and not necessarily a overpriced hotel, flowers are sourced from gardens, decorations home made (I myself made several miles of gingham bunting 8 years go for D3’s wedding which has since been used again and again at weddings, christenings, birthdays and outdoor parties) drinks can be bought wholesale or sale or return etc
#justsaying

Two family weddings have been postponed, one postponed twice now and both had been booked before Covid arrived.

They must be very disappointed but I feel sorry for all those involved such as the caterers, the photographers, the florists etc who are struggling to make a living.

No-one is saying they can't have their wedding, just that they can't have as many guests as they hoped. 100 is still pretty generous with omicrom doing the rounds. Difficult to choose who to bump off the list and those 'cancelled' will be out of pocket and not amused. Quite a nightmare. But the rules is the rules and they're made to keep people safe. We don't know when they arranged the wedding but booking a venue for NYE must have required considerable forward planning. I don't know about restrictions in Ireland, but it's not so many months since numbers attending weddings in England were relaxed so personally I think they were taking a big risk. It's a shame for them but I feel that many weddings these days are more vanity projects than commitment, a comment I expect will be controversial.

MaybeMaw Everything you describe can be done just as well on the 10th anniversary.

There may be every possibility that more than 25 guests will pull out anyway with the risk of becoming infected with the virus.

With a worldwide pandemic in progress I think anyone who wants to travel overseas or get married has to take whatever comes. Otherwise play it safe, don't travel overseas and keep weddings and other events small and simple. If you go ahead anyway then you have to accept whatever inconveniences come your way.

They are just one couple in thousands. I know of three couples that have cancelled so many times babies have arrived and they have had a small family gathering to wet its head!!!

They may be one couple in thousands, but it will be (all going well) their only wedding day, and I feel very sorry for them.

It's easy to stand back and criticise, but most couples put a lot of time and effort into their wedding, however much (or little) money they spend. It has not been possible to predict the course of Covid - the first lockdown was only supposed to be for a short time, and nobody guessed that we would still be dealing with it nearly 2 years later.

So yes, I'm afraid I do think that YABU. Have a bit of empathy.

I think to comment that they were in purgatory was overdoing it a bit. The pandemic has been going on for some time now so surely they must have realised that there could be problems. I do sympathise a little but it should be about the marriage not the wedding. A small intimate group would be lovely and they could always have a party when things improve.

Katie59

If the predictions are correct everything will be closed down on the 27th Dec so the problem will go away. In any case most airlines have a rebooking policy at present (maybe not Ryanair).

Definitely not Ryanair!

I think we need to expect disappointments at this time. My DD and GC can't come. I booked flexible accommodation and flights can be changed. Of course it's disappointing but people have suffered worse. Purgatory??

M0nica

MaybeMaw Everything you describe can be done just as well on the 10th anniversary.

Or at any time - I just think your idea of a 10th Anniversary is totally arbitrary.

I think people use different words to express annoyance or upset, and they don't always mean them literally.

My mum used to say 'this is purgatory' when talking about a TV programme she wasn't enjoying . She knew the actual meaning, but we also knew that she wasn't using the word in the literal sense. I'm guessing that this is what the wedding couple were doing.