Wedding postponed due to Covid-19 Are we in our right to cancel?

alex_smith2004

So our wedding venue postponed our August 2020 wedding due to covid at the start of June. 

We asked for all possible options - the only option they gave us was postponement to a later date in 2021 & would extend to 2022 as a gesture of god will. We explained that we are very anxious to have our wedding in the near future for the safety & travel of guests. They said if we are to cancel the wedding we would be liable to pay 100% of the cost as we’ve cancelled within our T&Cs of 0-40 weeks. 

But for us to choose another date with the venue they are requesting to change and update our T&Cs - example pay 25% of the total cost to cover the new date & then the remaining balance in 3 instalments. (Our original T&C was for full payment a month prior to the wedding) we’ve paid £1000 deposit and the rest wasn’t due until a month prior (27th July) 
All myself & partner asked was all options to be laid out. But they said the only option we had was to postpone to a later date with new T&Cs. 

We’ve phoned 3 solicitors who have said there going rate to deal with any type on wedding cancelled/postponed due to covid would be a minimum of £500 to read thru the T&Cs and to draft the first letter. 

We’ve explained to the venue we feel very let down as all we asked for was all options & all we got back was we have a team of solicitors behind us and you owe us 100% of the total cost as you’re cancelling within the 0-40 week period. 

I’ve asked for their complaints procedure as well as ringing citizens advice who said write an email stating the contacts been frustrated & ask them to resolve this thru a mediation or out of court.
We received an email back saying we have 7 days to decide what we want to do as the government rules have changed and we now can have weddings of up to 30 so ring our insurance. Or they will be contacting a debt collecting service to collect the money. 

I’m so torn between going to court - or just re organising a date with them ignoring the bad blood between us. 

Thank you 

immortalduck

Hi. Some of your post is a bit confusing: you say "our wedding venue postponed our August 2020 wedding" - but then there is talk of the venue saying that you are going to cancel etc. If it was the venue who postponed, what did they say when they postponed? These things (particularly the position regarding cancellation) will all be important in terms of working out where you stand.

What I would really recommend doing (before anything else) is two things:
1) Prepare a quick timeline of the key things that have happened i.e. when you booked (and what for) and when you / they got in touch re Covid-19 and specifically what was said
2) Get out your contract and look at what it says particularly regarding cancellation, postponement and if there are any bits in there about what happens if the wedding can't go ahead due to an unforeseen reason. 

The above should help you decide where you stand contractually etc. and you can work out what to do next. 

For what it's worth, if what you've said above (about them postponing) is accurate and you haven't cancelled, then I cannot see how they could be contacting debt collection agency. If the wedding date in August has already been postponed (or cancelled) then I would also try to avoid being pressured into making any snap decisions and agreeing anything else before stopping and taking stock - the 7 days thing they have specified sounds like a threat to try and exert pressure.

As a final point, if you do have insurance, you should contact them anyway (armed with the above info). They will be able to tell you to what extent you are covered and also might be able to talk you through your options. If a postponement is agreed, the insurer will also need to be informed (to check they are still going to cover this).