Image copyright Simon Aherne Image caption Simon Aherne and Anna Cousins, from Cardiff, are due to get married on Sunday, 3 May - one day before the traditional May Day Bank Holiday

An engaged couple say their wedding plans have been scuppered by changes to next year's early May bank holiday.

May Day is traditionally held on a Monday, but will be put back to Friday, 8 May in 2020 to accommodate the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

But Simon Aherne and Anna Cousins, from Cardiff, say the lack of notice has left their plans in tatters as most guests will be unable to attend.

The UK government said it made the decision "as soon as practicable".

Mr Aherne, a teacher and part-time DJ, and PR professional Ms Cousins were due to get married at Kingscote Barn in Gloucestershire on Sunday, 3 May - the day before the traditional bank holiday Monday.

'Out the window'

The pair have booked everything from the venue to caterers, and sent out invitations to friends and family.

But when they were alerted to the announcement by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on Saturday, their plans went "out of the window".

"Most of our family are teachers or in the entertainment business - so the bank holiday worked out perfectly for us," Mr Aherne said.

"Now we are just sitting here wondering what we are going to do."

He explained that while they respected the wish to mark the VE Day anniversary, as both their families have a history of military service, they questioned the lack of warning.

Image copyright Simon Aherne Image caption The couple say they could lose thousands in deposits if they have to rearrange their wedding

"How can the government just chuck this on people with 11 months to go? They have had time to prepare and could have given people a lot more notice."

Mr Aherne added: "We have invited more than 100 people, but it looks like we might barely get 20 now.

"If we have to cancel, we are going to lose our deposits - we are talking thousands of pounds."