Last year was full of heartbreak for brides and grooms to be. Due to constantly changing coronavirus restrictions, many were faced with the tough choice of whether to cut their guest list or postpone or cancel their wedding altogether.
Throughout 2020, it felt like those who had planned to get married in 2021 might have made a lucky call but, as the summer wedding season approached (May to September are the most popular months in the UK), it seemed increasingly uncertain. Not only for those who originally planned to wed this year, but also for those who postponed once already.
Under current lockdown restrictions, weddings and civil partnerships are only permitted under “exceptional circumstances” (such as one partner being terminally ill). Even in these situations, wedding parties can only include six people.
But on 22 February, Boris Johnson announced a roadmap, that includes lifting restrictions on weddings, if coronavirus cases continue to fall and the vaccine rollout continues to go as planned. So what should couples be expecting now?
What is the latest update?
On Monday 22 February, Boris Johnson told the commons that the lockdown roadmap would begin with some gradual easing at the start of March.
The first date for wedding planners to be aware of is 12 April – on this date the government hopes to allow weddings of up to 15 people to begin again in England. Although this will be contigent on five weeks of positive movement since the previous update (step one) on 8 March.
Then, no earlier than 17 May, the government would like to increase this number to 30 people at weddings.
However these changes are contingent on meeting Mr Johnson’s “four tests” which include the continued success of vaccine rollout, no increase in hospitalisations, as well as vaccines reducing deaths, and information about new variants not changing the assessment of risk.
What has the government said prior to 22 February?
Back in December 2020, prior to the third national lockdown, Boris Johnson said he was hopeful that weddings would be able to go ahead in summer 2021.
He said: “My hope is by summer it really will be a different world for the weddings and events industry. I hope that your potential customers will be full of confidence and optimism as well and will be getting hitched in the normal way. I think you should be able to plan for a much more active summer and lots of happy nuptial events all over the UK.”
But industry experts say customers who had plans for spring weddings are already cancelling, and summer ones are being thrown into doubt.
Tamryn Settle, campaign manager of #WhatAboutWeddings, a group which advocates for couples and the wedding industry, tells The Independent: “The vast majority of couples who were planning April and May weddings have already decided to postpone because they had no information and no confidence in the publication of ‘the plan’”
“Businesses are also reporting that summer couples are now also losing confidence,” she continues.
Settle says that couples and businesses, in particular, are “on tenterhooks” ahead of the PM’s roadmap announcement and she is urging the government to provide clear information on what the rules are likely to be. “For weddings to go ahead in any form this summer, we need a roadmap to a safe reopening and we need to know what restrictions will be in place and what the conditions will be for easing these further,” she says.
A group of 13 senior Tory MPs, led by Esther McVey and Philip Davies, who tied the knot in September, also wrote to Boris Johnson on Valentine’s Day weekend, calling for Covid-secure weddings to be permitted from March, and for totally normal ceremonies to be allowed from 1 May.
When asked by The Independent about the likelihood of weddings being reinstated this summer, the Department of Health and Social Care said it was unable to comment on future announcements on Covid restrictions.
When do experts think that weddings will be permitted again?
Pranav Bhanot, head of wedding litigation at Meaby & Co Solicitors and founder of The Wedding Lawyer, believes it is possible that small weddings will make a comeback this summer but says it’s unlikely that we’ll see the full-size weddings we were used to pre-Covid.
“I believe weddings will continue to look and feel very different to what couples may have expected of their weddings at the time of entering into the contract,” he says.
Bhanot explains that we’re likely to see limited guest numbers and there may also be restrictions on food service (no more buffets) and loud music (singing and shouting have been linked to increased transmission risk).
Similarly, a spokesperson for wedding industry body the National Association of Professional Wedding Services tells The Independent that we could see very small weddings of up to 15 guests permitted over the next couple of months, and events with 30-40 guests by mid-summer.
“It might be that guests will need to prove that they have been vaccinated or have recently tested negative in order to attend,” the spokesperson added. “It’s a small price to pay.”
Although no such plans have been confirmed, Boris Johnson has suggested that quick-turnaround lateral flow tests could be used by venues such as nightclubs when they reopen.
In terms of vaccinating wedding guests, almost 16 million people have received a first dose of the vaccine in the UK, and over half a million people have received both doses. The government aims to offer a vaccine to all nine priority groups by May and all adults by September.
But even once people are vaccinated, there is still uncertainty about whether this reduces transmission or just stops people becoming seriously ill if they do contract the virus – so an occasion such as a wedding could potentially still be a spreading event, even if people are vaccinated. It isn’t clear whether or not nationwide vaccination will mean an automatic green light for big weddings.
Should I postpone my wedding again?
Bhanot advises waiting for the next government announcement on 22 February before making any decisions. If couples do wish to postpone their wedding for a future date, he suggests considering how well their suppliers are doing financially, and trying to ascertain whether they will still be trading in future months. “Any agreement to postpone should be carefully and clearly set out in an agreement or email,” he adds.
Gallery: Coronavirus outbreak around the world (Photo Services)
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