Covid Wedding Rules & Tier Restrictions: The Latest Guidelines Explained
Wedding ceremonies have returned in England, but receptions are still not permitted in every tier. Here's what this means for your day - and what the Coronavirus guidelines for weddings look like in the rest of the UK.
On 20th December Boris Johnson announced stricter Covid rules for the UK, placing large parts of South East England into a new Tier 4 alert level.
Weddings had returned from 2nd December after the second national lockdown, with the Government's 'Covid-19 Winter Plan' allowing nuptials and civil partnerships to go ahead in Tiers 1, 2 and 3, with receptions of up to 15 allowed in Tiers 1 and 2. However, the announcement of Tier 4 has brought with it a new set of rules and more severe restrictions.
In Tiers 1 and 2, ceremonies and receptions in England are limited to 15 guests and subject to social distancing rules.
Receptions are not allowed in Tier 3, where all hospitality businesses, like pub and restaurants, must close and household mixing is not allowed indoors, with the exception of support bubbles. In Tier 4, weddings are only allowed to take place in exceptional circumstances - usually when one person is terminally ill.
Regional allocations will be reviewed every 14 days, but the approach is expected to last until March.
The Prime Minister said that the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine and rapid lateral testing by Easter should allow weddings to return to normal by summer 2021, adding said the UK will be "in a different world" by then.
"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."
It's important to note these restrictions do not apply to the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who have set their own rules. Keep scrolling down to find out more.
Source: Hitched