On the 21st of June the government introduced new guidance for weddings in England. To help keep you informed I have read through the guidance & put together this blog to provide you with a breakdown of key points.
Venue
Every venue must produce a risk assessment. If you have booked a covid secure venue, the venue itself will complete the risk assessment and can provide this for you. If you are getting married in a private residence then the individual organising the wedding will need to complete a risk assessment. It does not need to be sent in but you should have it on hand at the wedding as a point of reference & keep it for 28 days after your wedding.
If you need help creating your Risk Assessment have a read through How to safely plan a wedding.
Guests & Social Distancing
We no longer have a 30 person wedding guest limit! (yay) The number of guests attending your wedding will be determined by the capacity of your covid secure venue. Your venue will let you know how many guests they can accommodate with social distancing measures in place.
Table settings are no longer restricted to 6 people.
If you are getting married outdoors the capacity is based on 1metre + mitigation for social distancing measures & it must be in a structure (i.e. marquee) with 50% of its sides uncovered.
Personal Protective Equipment
If your wedding is being held in an indoor venue, a face covering must be worn unless eating or drinking. The only exemption is for the officiant, bride & groom during the ceremony.
Hand sanitiser should be appropriately placed around the venue, especially where guests may be touching items i.e. guest book.
If you are getting married outdoors, masks are not required.
Food & Drink
All food and drink must be served to guests when they are seated. You can hire any food service/food truck you would like however it will need to be served to guests in their seats.
You are not permitted to be mingling or standing whilst consuming food or drink.
Entertainment
A first dance is allowed!!! However dance floors are banned & there can not be a designated dance space. You are allowed entertainment such as a band, dj, dancers etc.
Although we have had a set back, overall we are still heading in the right direction. New guidance is due to be announced for July 19th onwards.
For further information check out: Government guidelines on weddings