Around 200 brides-to-be in wedding dresses will march on Government Buildings this week, calling for clarity on wedding restrictions.
Earlier in the summer, it was suggested that - depending on the COVID-19 situation - up to 100 guests could be allowed at weddings from August.
However, that may not now go ahead - with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar last week saying any couples planning a ceremony in August "should assume the crowd limit will be 50".
The Sunday Times reported yesterday the number of guests may be increased next month, but only if guests have proof they've been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19.
Tara Fay, President of the Wedding International Professionals Association, told Newstalk Breakfast many couples were planning for more than 50 guests.
She explained: “We don’t want to use the word promise, but they were given the impression that they could have 100 guests in August - that was at the beginning of June.
“They would have sent out invitations based on 100 people.
"A lot of them already will have paid for a large proportion of their wedding at this stage, and they will now start having to disinvite people if they can’t have the [extra] 50 people.”
She acknowledged the Government did give the caveat that an easing of restrictions was not a certainty.
However, she said most people who are getting married are excited and therefore “don’t hear the caveat”.
International couples 'starting to get nervous' about 2022
Ms Fay also noted there is a "huge" wedding industry being impacted by the ongoing restrictions, not just individual couples.
She observed: "It employs thousands of people throughout the country, and feeds into various local economies.
“We’re also an important destination for international couples. They’re now looking at 2022… and they’re starting to get nervous about committing to their weddings for next year. We’re going to start losing business to other countries.”
She claimed a failure by officials to plan for weddings is like “sleepwalking off a cliff”.
She said 'track and trace' is easier for wedding organisers than for the hospitality sector, as they “know exactly” where people are sitting as there are dedicated table plans.
However, she said there's still no official guidance from the Government around wedding planning.
She noted: “While there are two pages of guidelines for weddings within hotels, there’s no guidance for individual wedding venues - specifically for marquees or any home weddings.
"Anyone planning a wedding at home doesn’t know how to plan.”
For now, weddings are not quite the "traditional" Irish wedding - with just 50 guests, no dancing and an 11pm curfew.
However, Ms Fay said couples getting married soon just want certainty on the number of people invited and whether they can have live music.
