ONE Fermanagh wedding supplier has revealed that she is working “week to week” due to the uncertainty of Covid-19.
Maguiresbridge woman Bernie McGarry, of McGarry Wedding Designs, has worked in the wedding industry supplying bridal flowers and venue styling for 22 years and says: “2020 was by far the strangest year for weddings, and the strangest year that has ever happened.” 
Bernie, and all those who work in the wedding industry in Northern Ireland, have felt a notable financial hit during the height of the pandemic, with all ceremonies cancelled until restrictions were lifted to allow terminally ill people to get married in late May outside, with witnesses of up to 10 people.
Looking back at the start of the pandemic, Bernie said: “All the weddings were just cancelled.
“We wondered what was going to happen; we started off in the unknown, wondering ‘How do you fill the void?’,” she mused.
However, as weddings start to resume on a small scale, Bernie has found that the flower industry has held up well.
“We’ve found the brides want to go on without their numbers; anything that they ordered from us, they’ve held on to.”
Reflecting on the situation across the island of Ireland for wedding vendors, Bernie said: “Any of the wedding vendors are going to be worried about how the weddings will pan out.
“There’ll be a big worry for any wedding suppliers in Donegal [with the new restrictions].”
However, her business is still working “week to week, and wedding to wedding”. She added: “With Covid-19, you just don’t know what’s around the corner, or who will go into lockdown next, or if the immediate area here will lockdown.”
Currently, there are no fixed limits on how many people can attend a ‘Covid-secure’ wedding in a venue which has adequate space for social distancing, and if a risk assessment has been carried out. Weddings can still happen both indoors and outdoors. 
However, there are different rules in the Republic of Ireland – a popular destination for many Fermanagh couples to hold their reception.