Highlights
- Wedding venues to see business rates rise by 78 per cent on average over next three years, with top 10 per cent facing £53,000+ increases.
- National Insurance hikes and minimum wage rises add £1m in extra annual costs for some venue operators.
- Industry excluded from 15 per cent business rates discount offered to pubs and music venues despite similar tax burden.
The rises come as wedding hosting costs have already increased by 24 per cent in recent years due to rising energy and food prices. Event industry bosses warned the fresh tax burden would inevitably push prices higher for couples.
Mark Henriques of Cripps & Co, a family-run business restoring historic barns and walled gardens for events, said business rates cost around £130 per wedding in 2018 but were on track to rise to £530.
He told The Telegraph "Most wedding venues will have to pass it on. Ultimately, the cost will be borne by marrying couples with many other financial pressures on their shoulders."
Industry seeks relief
The controversy follows chancellor Rachel Reeves' decision to exclude most hospitality businesses from support offered to pubs and music venues.
From April, pubs and live music venues will receive a 15 per cent discount on business rates, with bills frozen for two years.
Angus Hastie of Artemis, a wedding venue manager leasing country houses, said rising business rates were "a direct brake on growth."
He told The Telegraph that National Insurance hikes cost an extra £300,000 yearly, minimum wage rises added £500,000 to casual staff costs since 2021, and reduced rates relief would add £200,000 annually, totalling £1m in government-created costs.
Gavin Lane of the Country Land and Business Association warned rising costs risked driving couples abroad, adding: "This tax could kill the dream of the countryside wedding."
A Government spokesman added "We're backing businesses with a £4.3bn Budget package that includes capping big bill hikes."
