Gretna vows to recover as coronavirus rips the heart out of Dumfries and Galloway's wedding capital

In the battle to beat the coronavirus crisis, weddings are in lockdown and that is having a devastating effect on the region’s Love Town.

Gretna has become the “wedding capital” virtually of the world courtesy of a 1754 Act of Parliament which outlawed marriages for under 21s in England. That forced young couples to run away to Scotland and eloping caught on.

Now the harsh reality for a community teeming with wedding venues, accommodation, restaurants and everything needed for the Big Day from hire cars to bridal boutiques, is that Covid-19 has called a halt.

Temporarily it might be but that means hundreds of people have been furloughed on reduced salaries or lost their jobs and businesses are counting the costs.

The pandemic is “ripping the heart out” of Gretna and Gretna Green, according to Alasdair Houston, whose ancestor started the Blacksmith anvil weddings centuries ago.

He said the quietness in the usually thriving community packed with visitors from around the world is “both eerie and saddening.”

His team at Gretna Green Ltd have worked “round the clock” to contact shattered brides and grooms during the past fortnight.

Mr Houston, chairman of the family-run business, which includes a number of hotels and properties, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the understanding and support from our couples, as we do our best to ensure that their dreams for a Gretna Green wedding still come true; just at a later date when it is safe to do so.

“We, like many others, are continually adapting to the changing situation to ensure that we continue to support our local community, the UK as a whole and internationally.

“We are, at the same time, doing everything we can to safeguard the short and long-term interests of our colleagues, our future guests and other partners.”

Also looking to the future of the region’s weddings and touism industries is Dumfriesshire constituency MSP Oliver Mundell, who said: “There can be no doubt that the wedding industry in Gretna Green and the surrounding area has been hard hit by this crisis and the drop off in tourists in general has not helped.

“Right across our region we will need to look at the economic realities once the pressures ease on the public health front and ensure all the stops are pulled out to kick-start the local economy.

“For the moment the absolute priority must be getting coronavirus under control and saving as many lives as possible.”