FAQs for Oxwich Bay Hotel wedding couples who need to postpone their wedding

We understand that the last couple of months have been unsettling and difficult for many of our wedding couples and that's why we have put together a short FAQ of the most common questions we have been asked throughout the postponement process...

Are there any fees for changing our date?

No. Here at the Oxwich Bay Hotel, we have agreed that couples can postpone their wedding to a date of their choosing (subject to availability). We have agreed to honour the original wedding package that was given at the time of confirming the wedding. It doesn’t matter what time of year you move to; we will honour our agreement.

Is there a limit on dates to transfer to?

Most couples have transferred to a date in 2021, however we have not set a limit on the dates you can transfer to.

Can we hold a few select dates provisionally whilst we decide on our preferred date?

As you can imagine, we have many couples in the same situation and we have decided on a provisional one date hold for a maximum period of 24 hours whilst you make the necessary enquiries about your preferred date to see if the transfer is possible.

What do I need to do in this provisional period of 24 hours to secure our preferred date?

You would need to contact either your church or Swansea Registrar’s Office on 01792 636188 or registrars@swansea.gov.uk and discuss availability for your preferred date and the available ceremony times that they have to offer. You would also need to speak with your selected suppliers (i.e. photographer, decorator, florist) to check their availability.

We would also recommend that you have conversations with your close family and friends whose attendance at your wedding is vital to check that they are also available on your new date.

What about my guests’ accommodation, prices, deposits/payments?

Again, we have agreed to honour your guests’ accommodation prices given at the time of booking. These would have been an attached document when sent your ‘provisional’ email after holding a date with us.

When you decide on a new wedding date, we will transfer your date across along with your existing allocation of accommodation (subject to availability). Before deciding on a new date, we would have checked your accommodation allocation on your existing date and notified you as to whether we could do a simple, ‘like for like’ transfer, or whether some of your existing accommodation is not available on the new date. If this is the case, we will send you a list of what is available on the new date and allow you to either choose where your allocated guests will now move to (depending on availability) or we may need to release a selection of rooms. This will be entirely your decision; however we will be on hand for any questions and to talk you through room set ups, pricing and supplements etc.

If guests are no longer able to attend my new wedding date or we have had to release rooms that had paid a deposit on my original date, can they have a full refund?

Your guests will not lose their money. We would hold their deposit / payment on their account for a future stay (within 12 months).

What is the best method of communication between us and the Weddings Team?

Due to the recommended ‘Stay at home’ advice from the Welsh Government, our Weddings Sales Team are working from home daily to answer emails and calls. We can also offer ‘Virtual Appointments’ via zoom if you would prefer to discuss your options in person.

Please note that we receive the Government advice surrounding the limitations placed on weddings at the same time as our couples do via the Government briefings, therefore we don’t know when the current restrictions will be lifted or changed. We can only give our advice based on the restrictions at the time of discussion and not based on the future as advice changes quickly at times.

Current Restrictions

If you’re having your wedding ceremony with us we can host 17-30 guests in our Chestnut Room. The actual number of guests would depend on the number of people per household and ‘bubbles’. This number would also have to take the registrars into consideration along with your photographer/videographer and wedding coordinator (if you wanted them present).
Wedding receptions can be a maximum of 30 guests. These can currently be held indoors.
On arrival guests will be asked to take their allocated seat in the ceremony room and no pre-ceremony drinks (or the lounge area) will be available. Alternatively, guests can wait outside, whilst observing social distancing.
Some Brides and/or Grooms plan to get ready in our Lounge. Unfortunately, we are not permitted to allow this during these times.
Social distancing will have to be observed at all times.
Dancing is not permitted. However, we believe a first dance may be allowed so long as the music is at a low level and social distancing is observed by guests.
No live music/DJ/comedy is permitted, background music only.
No Buffet food is currently permitted. Any evening food must be pre-portioned or served to tables.
Guests should stay seated as much as possible to avoid transmission. This will include our Welcome Area, where seating will be pre-designated.
There will be posters and signage in place around COVID-19 which cannot be removed. These will be done tastefully. There will also be discreet announcements at various intervals.
One-way systems will be in operation, and one in, one out in some areas.
We would require contact details for all attendees to support ‘track and trace’.
A health check will need to be done for all guests 48 hours in advance of the wedding. This can be done by yourselves.
No guests showing any symptoms can attend.
Hand sanitiser will be available for guests.