117 Asian wedding businesses have written to Minister Paul Scully calling on him to recognise the cultural and religious importance of weddings. These businesses are also calling on the Government to ensure the long-term viability of the sector by providing urgent clarity on when weddings can resume and urging him to give the sector immediate financial support.
The UK wedding industry is worth an average £14.7 billion to the UK economy each year, employing 60,000 businesses and 400,000 workers, with £5 billion of this figure coming from the Asian wedding sector. However, the Government has for too long overlooked the economic, cultural and societal significance of the Asian wedding industry.
The Asian wedding sector is a significant employer in local communities, especially in the north west regions, which is a particular area of focus for the Government’s levelling up agenda. Yet, thousands of jobs are at risk as the Government has failed to provide the industry with clarity about when weddings can restart, with full socially distanced capacity as a minimum. Asian weddings normally cater to around 400 – 500 guests and therefore an arbitrary cap on numbers of 15, 30 or 50 guests, will simply not be financially viable for many wedding businesses.
For many in the Asian community, weddings are more than just parties. There is a societal and cultural element to many Asian weddings, as they are often observed as rites of passages and carry significant religious importance. They are typically over the course of five days and involve culturally important pre-wedding events from Mendhi Night to Ladies Sangeet. Couples who may be unable to live together until married must be able to plan-ahead and celebrate in the way they choose too.
As liquidations loom for those in the Asian wedding business, mental health and social stigma is resulting in a precarious position for numerous business owners. It is seen as a stain or blot on their lives after generations of success in the industry.
Holly, owner of Events By Beau, explains:
"The pandemic has transformed the landscape of the Asian wedding industry in ways we never anticipated. As we traditionally cater to large, vibrant gatherings, the shift to more intimate celebrations has been a significant adjustment for both us and our clients. Guiding couples through this transition, helping them find joy in a scaled-down version of their dream day, has been both a challenge and a privilege. Throughout this period, we've navigated a lot of uncertainty, hoping that upcoming guidelines will finally bring the direction and recognition our industry deserves.”
Ash, from Guardian Occasions Catering in Birmingham, explains:
“Operating within the Asian/Indian wedding industry, physically and mentally we are ready to cater for 500 guests and more, the past year we have had to support couples and their families to adjust mindsets and reimagine their dream weddings within the confines of the industry’s ‘new normal’. This has been challenging, especially when the government has overlooked the wedding industry, we’re expecting the government’s post-lockdown roadmap will offer clarity and guidance.”
Similarly, Neal Khanna, Director of The Clay Oven Group says:
“As an industry we understand the importance of fighting this pandemic, the social distancing measures that need to be adopted and mitigate the spread of the virus, but we feel we should have parity with restaurants and others within Hospitality. If restaurants can operate at 50% capacity and follow their risk assessments and social distancing measures, there is no reason why we can’t do the same for a wedding. In some ways this would be a much easier exercise, and rapid testing could be organised. We should not be penalized for organising larger events, if a restaurant can have 150 guests because it has the capacity, and can manage with restrictions in place, why can’t we?”
In addition, with virtually no income from the past year, many businesses are on the brink of collapse. The sector is calling on the Chancellor to provide wedding businesses with tailored financial support, to give them a vitally needed cash injection until weddings can operate at full capacity. The Weddings Taskforce has identified that cash grants of up to £10,000 would support up to 38,000 wedding businesses but only until 1st April.
This letter comes following a similar letter to the Prime Minister earlier this week in which over 24,000 wedding businesses urged him to include the industry in the lockdown easing plan and to provide their sector with much needed financial assistance.
Mr Paul Scully
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Minister,
1 Victoria Street,
London,
SW1H 0ET
19 February 2021
Dear Minister,
Impact of Wedding Industry Closure on Asian Communities and Businesses We are writing to you as a group of businesses and individuals working in the wedding industry from across the UK’s Asian community. We are urgently seeking clarity as to when weddings will be able to properly reopen again and are appealing to you for immediate financial support as our livelihoods are being destroyed by the current restrictions placed on
the sector.
There are 60,000 businesses and 400,000 workers relying on the wedding sector and it is worth an average of £14.7 billion to the UK economy each year. A significant amount of this contribution, as you may know, comes from our communities circa £5 billion, representing just over a third of the total. Despite our importance to the UK economy and the regional employment we provide, particularly in areas of the UK where the Government’s levelling up agenda is focused, our businesses are now on the brink of collapse. Our businesses are volume based, our models and pricing are created in a manner which means if we are only permitted to host events of arbitrary numbers of 15, 30 or 50 guests, we will not be able to viably sustain our businesses, overheads and staff.
We require clarity about when weddings can restart, at full socially distanced capacity as a minimum, in venues, marquees, structures and other outdoor settings. On average, Asian weddings cater to 400-500 guests and we feel strongly that larger venues should not be penalised, if we have the ability to incorporate social distancing capacity. Like restaurants, we would expect for venues to follow protocol and we fully recognise that a 500 capacity venue cannot be treated in a similar manner to one which hosts 100 seats.
From a societal and cultural perspective, we are in an unsustainable position. Whilst we are not the only culture to suffer, without support for the sector, there will be fewer marriages and an institution that is the cornerstone for so many communities throughout Britain will be lost. The situation is heart-breaking. This is further compounded by the loss of religious and cultural celebrations that could not take place last year, such as Diwali, Eid and Vaisakhi, which we feel were largely ignored in comparison to the Government’s determination over Christmas celebrations.
We desperately need sector specificity in the upcoming Government announcement on 22nd February. We need weddings to restart at full capacity with social distancing as a minimum in order to start trading profitably and to carry on our cultural celebrations that are held in the highest regard within our communities.
In addition, tailored financial support for the sector is urgently needed. We appreciate that the Weddings Taskforce has already identified cash grants of up to £10,000 which would support the sector, but this will only do so until 1st April. Please note inclusion in the reduced VAT rate and business rates relief is now absolutely critical.
We are calling on the Government to provide immediate sector support and a clear plan for reopening. This small request will ensure tens of thousands of viable wedding businesses will survive, hundreds of thousands of jobs will be saved and our communities will be able hold the wedding celebrations in the way that best represents their cultures and traditions.
Yours sincerely,
