Scottish wedding caterers to benefit from new wedding grant

The Scottish Government has announced a further £10m has been added to a fund supporting the wedding sector.

In recognition of the ongoing challenges faced by the sector, a further £10 million has been added to the £15 million announced in December for the sector and its supply chain.

Launching today (28th January) the fund will provide one-off grants of up to £25,000 for eligible businesses in the sector impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, including wedding venues, photographers, caterers and suppliers.

Finance Minister Kate Forbes said:

“This £25 million fund will ensure one-off grants of up to £25,000 reach eligible business as quickly as possible and there is no equivalent fund in other parts of the UK.

“The pandemic has had a severe impact on Scotland’s wedding sector, and we know that the current restrictions, while entirely necessary in our fight against COVID-19, continue to take their toll on the sector. I’d encourage all those who think they are eligible to find out more about applying – we want to help as many businesses survive this pandemic as we can.”

Am I eligible for funding?

In order to apply for the grant, businesses must be in one of the following sectors;

• Venues
• Videographers
• Photographers
• Marquee Hire (includes tipi)
• Wedding Attire
• Florists & Event Stylists
• Caterers
• Cakes
• Celebrants
• Transport (not including taxis)
• Event Supplies (Cater hire, decorative items)
• Hairdressers & Make-up Artists (Non-mobile)
• Entertainment (Band, DJ, Piper, String Quartet)
• Jewellery Designers/Makers/Sellers
• Wedding Exhibitions/Events
• Wedding Publications or Listing Sites
• Wedding Stationery
• Other Specialist Niche Suppliers (Photo Booth, Event nannies, event planners etc)

Your business must also meet the following criteria:

• Be operating in Scotland with a Scottish trading address
• Have started trading on or before 31 December 2019
• Have been generating an annual turnover of at least £10,000 before March 2020 (or on a pro rata basis if you hadn’t been trading a full year by March 2020)
• Be a micro, small or medium enterprise as defined by the European Commission definitions.
• Be your main income (if you’re a sole trader). People with full time employment who occasionally provide products or services to the wedding industry will not be eligible
• Have been generating at least 50% of its income from wedding bookings before the COVID-19 pandemic
• Have lost at least 50% of its overall turnover due to the pandemic
• Intend on continuing to trade in the wedding industry after the COVID-19 pandemic
• Not have received a one-off £25,000 payment from the Hospitality Sector Top-Up Payment (this is the amount given to businesses with a Non-Domestic Rates rateable value of £51,000 or over). If you have received this automated payment, you will have been notified within the last few weeks

How do I apply?

To find out more and to submit an application, click here.