The return of the Puritan wedding: Couples can get hitched again in churches but with no more than 30 people, no singing and no reception
- PM said congregations in religious venues will be limited to just 30 people
- Wedding receptions will separately be subject to household gathering rules
- Means couples will have to be ruthless with guest lists or postpone celebrations
Boris Johnson approved the return of weddings today – but under draconian restrictions that will force couples to make tough decisions about guests and make the party afterwards all-but impossible.
Nuptials will be allowed to go ahead in religious buildings like churches, synagogues and mosques from July 4 under rules which allow them to restart group religious services.
But they will be limited to just 30 guests and no singing is allowed under rules that also ban hymns from church services because of the risk of spreading coronavirus.
In a further blow for happy couples looking to cement their relationship, social distancing rules mean that the wedding reception is probably going to have to be cancelled or at least postponed to a party at a future date.
Officials have said they would be subject to social distancing rules governing hospitality venues, meaning only one household is allowed together indoors – or a maximum of six people outdoors.
However, it would appear that a small celebration may be possible at a family home, where under further measures outlined by Boris Johnson today, two households can now meet indoors with social distancing.
The new rules are:
- Wedding ceremonies with no more than 30 guests in religious settings
- Wedding receptions must adhere to household social distancing
- Changes come into effect from July 4
The Prime Minister announced that congregations in churches and other religious venues will have to be limited to just 30 people.
While ceremonies can go ahead under relaxation of rules governing religious buildings that will also allow congregations to worship, the wedding reception traditionally help afterwards would still be subject to restrictions on gatherings of more than one household
Mr Johnson told the Commons: ‘Mr Speaker, I know that many have mourned the closure of places of worship, and this year, Easter, Passover and Eid all occurred during the lockdown.
So I am delighted that places of worship will be able to reopen for prayer and services – including weddings with a maximum of 30 people, all subject to social distancing.’
The rules apply to religious venues as registry offices have remained open for groups of up to five.
The PM today dramatically unwound the coronavirus lockdown, declaring that pubs and haircuts can return and giving family and friends the green light to meet up indoors for the first time in months.
Throwing the dice to save the stricken economy, the PM told the Commons that England is coming out of ‘hibernation’ with bars, restaurants, cinemas and hairdressers able to get back up and running from July 4 – dubbed ‘Super Saturday’.
He announced that the social distancing rule is being halved to ‘one metre plus’ to free up thousands of business, with precautions such as face masks deployed to make sure the risks of transmission stay ‘broadly’ the same.
Staycations are also back on the agenda, with hotels, campsites and holiday cottages permitted as long as they comply with ‘Covid secure’ guidelines.
Two households will be allowed to gather indoors, in their homes or at a restaurant or museum, with no limit on numbers. Currently there is a ceiling of six people outdoors, which was seen as disadvantaging bigger families.
But they will have to observe social distancing, meaning grandparents will have to wait a bit longer to hug their grandchildren. A mooted expansion of social ‘bubbles’ to allow people to mix freely has seemingly been shelved.
Nail bars, gyms and swimming pools will also remain off limits after officials decided they are currently too dangerous to operate.