The Wedding Reporter ~

Testing, testing…is this thing on? Ah, good. Excuse me a moment whilst I just climb up here on to my soap box…

From my vantage point on the matrimonial frontline as I tap dance my way through this wonderland of weddings, you might well wonder what right I have to start getting, let’s say, “a bit politicky”. Well dear reader, I do so on behalf of the downtrodden and the marginalised, from the perspective of both a wedding industry professional and a recent admission into the state of marriage myself. And of course, because I pride myself on being a good person who likes to sleep at night.

© Tux and Tales Photography

Firstly, I have been made aware of this post from David at The Classic and Vintage Car Company. It would seem that your dreams of arriving in style on your wedding day – perhaps in a glorious old Rolls Royce or an open top automobile from the 1920s – may shortly be dashed by a change in legislation that will make it all but impossible for the small independent businesses who hire out these forms of transportation to exist.

The change in legislation regarding private hire cars could have a huge impact on the operating costs of wedding car hire companies, meaning that many of them will be put out of business whilst the few that remain will have to hike their service rates up exponentially.

Do read David’s post to see more details of the proposed changes and the impact of the enforced bureaucracy, or have a look at the full consultation here. This is not just a cause for concern for the bridal market who may want occasional use cars as transportation but for all small businesses feeling the pinch as the government make it ever harder for innovators and independent creatives to operate.

Talking of the government, I don’t for a second believe that they genuinely have a vested interest in gay marriage with their much publicised Equal Civil Marriages Consultation. Rather, I think they are using it as a diversionary tactic to, as one very wise person I know puts it, “distract us from things like…drug decriminalisation, the dismantling of the police force, the creating of a business out of the NHS, the disempowerment of the underclass, the demonisation of youngsters and the ignoring of the oldsters, the asset stripping of schools…. Marriage? Really, marriage? How can it possibly warrant all these column inches, angst, campaigning, when more and more people are struggling to feed themselves across Western Europe, let alone the rest of the world?”

Despite that, I still think that when given the opportunity to level the playing field for all people in love, you have to speak up for what’s right. Unfortunately, when my lovely old Granny called me up to ask me to look up the anti-equality petition  and sign the Coalition for Marriage on her behalf, I became a little tight-lipped. How can you tell a right-wing octogenarian who looks, sounds and acts like an understudy for the Queen that actually you don’t agree with them and that you’ve already signed the Coalition for Equal Marriage?

The consultation closed yesterday, but you can still contact your MP to express your views, and whilst you’re at it, don’t forget to mention your objections  to the “Taxi and Private Hire Consultation”, cc’ing in the law commission at the same time. If you don’t stand up for what you believe in, who will?