SA wedding industry ‘blindsided’ by new Covid restrictions

SA’s wedding industry has been left reeling after Covid restrictions were brought back – with no word on how long they’ll be in place.

Rebekah Wintulich and Joel Goddard aren’t allowing the latest Covid-19 restrictions to undo their plans to tie the knot on New Year’s Eve.

The Ingle Farm couple, who will marry on Friday at Holy Trinity Church in the city, are forging ahead with their wedding reception at Utopia @ Waterfall Gully.

“We didn’t want to wait any longer because there could still be restrictions in the future,” Mr Goddard, 26, said. “We decided to make the most of it.”

Announced on Sunday, the restrictions include limits on social gatherings. They meant Ms Wintulich and Mr Goddard had to reduce their number of guests from 110 to 70.

“As soon as we found that out we started to ring people to let them know and they are still able to come to the ceremony,” Ms Wintulich, 24, said.

Joel Goddard and Rebekah Wintulich at Trinity Church on Morphett Street, where they still plan to marry on Friday despite restrictions. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Their guests will also be unable to enjoy a boogie on the dancefloor, which will be reserved for the only dancing now permitted at nuptials – the traditional bridal waltz.

A spokeswoman for more than 100 SA wedding venues and suppliers, Kelly Markos, who owns Utopia @ Waterfall Gully and Glanville Hall, said the full impact on her industry was yet to be revealed.

“There are couples who are agonising over whether they should cancel their weddings,” she said. “We have been determining whose weddings can proceed and whose can’t and how many of us (wedding, events and hospitality venues) will have to shut the doors and stand down staff.”

Ms Markos said the industry had been “blindsided” by the restrictions. “The government has given us no idea of deadlines – we have no idea if this is temporary or a permanent new state,” she said.

Treasurer Rob Lucas said restrictions would not be permanent but no decision had been made on how long they would be in place for. The restrictions were enforced to slow the spread of Omicron and the government was concentrating on the widespread rollout of booster shots as soon as possible, he said.