The government has released a 50-page plan for getting the country out of lockdown, including advice on when weddings might return.
Boris Johnson’s update at weekend may have left people with a lot of questions, and Hitched has a list of common coronavirus wedding FAQs, but small weddings may be allowed to take place from 1 June under the new guidelines.
“The Government is also examining how to enable people to gather in slightly larger groups to better facilitate small weddings,” the document read. So what does this mean for your wedding?
Weddings are currently banned under the social distancing guidelines, which has led to many couples having to postpone their ceremonies until later in the year, or 2021.
Previous to the lockdown, there had already been some restrictions in place to adhere to social distancing rules.
The Church of England restricted weddings to just five people - the couple, the vicar, and two witnesses - while registrars could perform weddings with a maximum of 10 guests present - the engaged couple and up to eight guests. This may be the ruling once again from 1 June.
When Will Weddings Be Possible Again?
The Government FAQs read: “There’s no change at this time. We understand the frustration couples planning a wedding must be feeling, so we have set out our intention to enable small wedding ceremonies from 1 June. As with all coronavirus restrictions on places of worship, venues and social distancing, we will look to ease them as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Step three, in which places of worship and the hospitality sector reopen, is unlikely to happen before 4 July 2020.
This means you may be able to host a smaller, socially-distanced version of your wedding this summer, but as yet, it is unclear what businesses will be open, and what a wedding might look like.
Should We Keep Planning Our Summer Wedding?
The best advice is that couples postpone their summer weddings is they can. Postponing your wedding can be a heartbreaking decision, but it is also the safest option to make sure you get the wedding day you want!
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