Almost a year ago weddings were wiped off our calendars. A year in which couples’ dreams have been devastated and their plans postponed. A year in which wedding businesses have been strangled by uncertainty. The never ending changes to government guidelines and, worst of all, a complete absence of financial support. On 22nd February Boris Johnson is due to announce his ‘roadmap’ to unlocking the restrictions. The restrictions that have seen our industry and our couples reach breaking point. The What about Weddings campaign exists to make sure our voices are heard and our businesses can survive. As an industry made up of dedicated, resilient, hardworking, and creative people we have survived to this point.
Now we need clarity, a plan to re-open safely, and in a commercially viable way. And most importantly, until this can happen, we need financial support.
Bringing the party to the protest
At Patchwork we know that the best – and most successful protests – are those that involve a party. It’s what we do best after all, and to say we’ve missed them is a HUGE understatement.
We are really proud to be supporting the What about Weddings campaign. We’re organising a party protest, where everyone’s invited to have their say. By bringing together a patchwork of people from all areas of the wedding industry to showcase their talent. In doing so, we will send our message loud and clear to Boris in a way that is celebratory, creative and fun – just like our weddings and our couples.
Wedding suppliers – how you can help
If you’re a cake maker, celebrant, florist, caterer, MUA, DJ, designer or you work in any of the numerous other areas that are dependent on weddings to operate – we need you! Let’s make our voices heard. Show our leaders that we are not going to be ignored or quietened.
Get your message across and get involved by using your creative talent. Head to the Patchwork party protest to pledge your support!
What’s the big idea(s)?
The campaign idea is to bring together a ‘patchwork’ of brilliant creatives. We need them to share their message as individuals, which when brought together create the tidal wave needed to bring our message to the forefront.
Therefore, if you’re a baker, can you design a cake with a message for Boris and share on Insta? If you’re a wedding stationer, can you design an invite to Boris to “show up and stand up” and send it to Downing Street? Are you a make-up artist? How about sharing a message on a mirror in lipstick, and tagging Boris (and us!) We need Florists to deliver a bunch to Downing Street with a note to Boris asking for support. Any creative ideas welcome – just as much noise, colour and fun as you can muster.
Finally, please share, share share as much as you can before the 22nd February. Now is the time to play our part. We’ve been ignored for too long. Let’s get the message out far and wide.
Couples – how you can help
Have you have been personally affected by the restrictions to weddings over the past year? Or do you want to support a friend who has? You can support the social media campaign by liking, sharing and commenting on posts so that the message can be spread further. And please use your own social media presence by posting about the What About Weddings campaign using the hashtag #whataboutweddings. Tell your own story; share others’ stories and don’t forget to tag @whataboutweddingsofficial @borisjohnsonuk @patchwork_it so that your message gets heard loudly and shared widely.
Couples and their friends and families can also help by signing the open letter to Boris Johnson. And of course you can get creative too and bake a cake, design an invite, or send some flowers to Downing Street. All with your message to say “What about Weddings?” Visit the What About Wedding patchwork and pledge your support, or make a small donation to the campaign.
Thank you
Thank you so, so much for your incredible support in standing up for weddings. We know there is so much going on right now for all of us, and so many demands and stresses on us all. Being part of this campaign makes all of our voices stronger and together we can make a difference to our fellow suppliers and the couples who so desperately need to be able to plan their wedding day, safely and with our expertise and support.
Additional resources:
What about Weddings Campaign: Instagram: @whataboutweddingsofficial | Twitter: @WAWofficialUK | Hashtags: #whataboutweddings #standupforweddings
Stand up for Weddings Patchwork: Instagram: @patchwork_it | Twitter: @Patchworkit
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