The Current COVID Wedding Rules in England

UPDATED: 14th June 2021

N.B. The following applies to weddings in England only. We are expecting official confirmation from the government tomorrow which will be updated here.

Finally, we can give you the news that we’ve all been waiting for – big weddings are back! The government has announced today that while other restrictions will remain in place, weddings with more than 30 guests will be able to go ahead in England from 21st June! Your patience and resilience through all of this have been incredible and we are so excited to watch you celebrate, even if there will still be some more restrictions in place than we had hoped for.

We know it can be tricky to work out exactly what these restrictions are and what is just guidance, but hopefully, we can help. Below are the latest rules, as reported by the Deputy Political Editor at The Telegraph. This should give some additional clarity about what is and isn’t allowed from 21st June.

From June 21st:

Allowed:

• Unlimited attendees at wedding ceremonies and receptions, so long as they can be accommodated in a COVID-secure way
• Musical entertainment, with a group of up to six performers allowed inside, and up to 30 performers allowed outdoors
• The wedding couple’s first dance
• Speeches, with the Government guidance urging that these take place outdoors or in a well-ventilated area where possible. Public address systems, such as microphones are preferable to raised voices.
• Cutting of the cake
• Guestbooks and camera stations are allowed, however, contact should be minimised, with hand sanitisation stations encouraged before and after use

Not Allowed:

• Indoor dancing
• Stand up drinks receptions at outdoor or indoor wedding venues

Advised Against:

• Dancing outdoors
• Communal singing, which includes hymns
• Reusable service booklets and devotional materials. Single-use alternatives that can be binned should be used instead
• Cash donations, with alternative online giving encouraged instead

Obligatory:

• Facemasks must be worn indoors during wedding ceremonies and receptions, except for when eating and drinking
• Table service for food and drink, with no more than six guests per table
• Risk assessments are mandatory for all wedding venues, as well as guests celebrating on private land if more than 30 people are attending

Make sure you download the Bridebook app and update your wedding location and date. This will ensure you get breaking news that is relevant to your wedding, whenever it is announced. To get the latest updates follow #whataboutweddings and The UK Wedding Taskforce on Instagram.