"May change of holiday will ruin our wedding"

A couple of fiancés said their wedding plans were turned upside down by the changes made to the holiday in early May of next year.

May Day is traditionally celebrated on Monday, but will be postponed until Friday, May 8 in 2020 to reflect the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

But Simon Aherne and Cardiff's Anna Cousins ​​say the lack of notice left their plans in ruins, with most guests unable to attend.

The British government said it had made its decision "as soon as possible".

Aherne, a part-time teacher and DJ, and Cousins, a public relations professional, were due to be married at Kingscote Barn in Gloucestershire on Sunday, May 3 – the day before Monday's traditional holiday.

& # 39; By the window & # 39;

The two men booked everything from the place of rendezvous to the caterers and sent invitations to their friends and family.

But when they were alerted Saturday by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, their plans were sidelined.

"Most of our family members are teachers or entertainment professionals – so the holiday went perfectly well for us," said Aherne.

"Now we're just sitting here wondering what we're going to do."

He explained that, while respecting the wish to celebrate the Victory Day anniversary of their two families with a history of military service, they questioned the lack of implementation. keep.

"How can the government just put that on the back of people with 11 months to go?" They had time to get ready and could have given people much more notice.

Mr. Aherne added, "We have invited over 100 people, but it looks like we could have 20 now.

"If we have to cancel, we will lose our deposits, we are talking about thousands of pounds."