‘I’m getting married on election day and I’m really upset!’

It is the biggest day of their life but it is also election day.

Couples getting married on the last weekend of May, their wedding planners, florists and suppliers have been caught off guard by the clash of important dates as they prepare to share the limelight with politics. 

“I’m getting married on election day, and I’m really upset!” read an anonymous post on Facebook group Women for Women, which generated hundreds of comments. 

Rumours of an early general election had left couples and planners anxious until the date was announced last month, placing polling day in one of the busiest wedding periods of the year.

Venue location played a major role in the level of stress weddings falling on May 30 and 31 could cause, according to planner Nikky Borg, from Icing on the Cake.

She is organising one wedding on election day, but the venue is cut off in the countryside, and the set-up is simple and intimate, meaning no complex logistics.

During election campaigns, gazebos are in short supply, Borg said, relieved that a wedding at Fort St Angelo, in Vittoriosa, which would require cranes to set up days before, is scheduled for June.

Borg said the level of disruption on Sunday would depend largely on location. Countryside venues or sites away from polling stations were less likely to be affected, while Valletta churches and venues such as the Mediterranean Conference Centre, the Phoenicia and the Saluting Battery could be trickier if celebrations spill into the capital.

Lapsi, in St Julian’s, is another example of a wedding location close to the action, and Borg pointed out how movement in these areas is usually restricted.

Couples and planners are not so concerned about the day the ballots are cast, which is relatively calm and free, as they are about the day of celebration… or dejection and defeat, depending on your political persuasion.

The mood could impact the vibe and dampen the atmosphere, but apart from guests’ chatter and the political backdrop, there should not be much impact on Saturday. 

“Although initial panic may have set in among couples tying the knot on polling day, the truth is that it is quiet and the roads are quite empty as voting continues until late,” Borg noted.

When results start trickling out on Sunday morning, supporters start hanging around, and traffic gets heavier.

Stress of being caught in the chaos

It is not just the wedding parties that may be concerned about that. Florist Stephen Schembri, from Meme’s Fleuriste, was feeling “stressed” about being caught in the chaos on the Sunday, with a mid-morning ceremony scheduled in a “hot spot” Valletta church. 

While the couple may be relaxed, Schembri said it was a “logistical nightmare” and was planning the best way to go about the job, setting up the night before and keeping his floral arrangements in his van to avoid driving to his store in Tarxien. 

“I do not want to be stuck in that traffic and chaos,” he said.

Another wedding planner said a foreign couple getting married on election day would not be as concerned as the Maltese but they did ask about it.

Being held at Villa Bologna, in Attard, in quiet roads outside the village core and not next to schools where polling is carried out, was considered a bonus. 

While she concurred that Saturday weddings should not be affected, and she envisaged that the weekend overall should be fine, until Sunday late afternoon, “it would worry me a bit if I were getting married”.

Some brides – who have been gearing up for their big day even three years in advance – are still in a panic. 

“It is that one day when everything has to be perfect, so even the slightest issue can disrupt a bride.”

Thankfully, the planner did not have any weddings lined up for the Monday and Tuesday – a possibility with foreigners, who often get married during the week – when carcading and celebrations would be in full swing.

‘As long as you are not marrying a candidate, you’ll be fine!’

On Facebook wedding and women’s groups, brides expressed concern about the clash and were met with consolation.

“As long as you are not marrying a candidate, you’ll be fine!” One bride who tied the knot during the 2013 election reassured worried couples that all went well – “our guests respected us and kept politics out of the discussions”.

Another recalled her sister’s wedding in 1987, on the day of the celebrations, and her parents’ stress and worry. But, again, all went smoothly.

Advice included asking bands not to play any songs associated with politics.

Offering some simple tips that could help, wedding organisers Williams Events were optimistic about the situation, saying all that was needed was “better coordination”.

Check routes of taxis and the bridal car, especially if close to a polling station, where roads may be busier or closed, they advised.

“Give yourself and guests a bit more time to get to the venue – use the time to get some couple shots in a nice location along the way."