I do and a celebration too – receptions are back!

And it's the news we've all been waiting for: wedding receptions are back! Following the Government announcement on Friday 17th July, receptions post-vows can now take place for a sit-down meal with up to 30 loved ones – yes 30 friends and family! Read on to find out more...

We know that 30 guests doesn't feel like many, and whittling down a guest list of 120 by three-quarters is not ideal - where would you begin deciding who's off the list! If you really want your planned day exactly as you imagined then perhaps postponing your wedding date to later this year or next year really is still the best way forward.
However, if your proposed wedding date was later this summer/start of Autumn and was already an intimate affair then it's really exciting news, and here at County Wedding Magazines HQ we're sharing in the excitement with you!


Here's all you need to know...

• Legally-valid ceremonies or formations are strongly advised to go ahead only where they can be done in a COVID-19 secure environment.
• It's also advised that the ceremonies are kept as short as reasonably possible and limited to the parts of the ceremonies that are required to be legally binding.
• No more than 30 people should attend a marriage or civil partnership, where this can be safely accommodated with social distancing in a COVID-19 secure venue.
• Large wedding receptions or parties should not currently be taking place.
• Celebration after the ceremony should follow the broader social distancing guidance of involving no more than two households in any location or, if outdoors, up to six people from different households.
• However, from 1st August, small wedding receptions will be able to take place - this means sit-down meals for no more than 30 people, subject to COVID-19 secure guidance.

More wedding planning must-haves...

• No food or drink should be consumed as a part of the ceremony unless required for the purposes of solemnisation.
• Where the exchanging of rings is required or desired for the solemnisation of the marriage or the formation of the civil partnership, hands should be washed before and after. The rings should be handled by as few people as possible.
• Where an infant is involved in proceedings a parent/guardian or member of the infant's household should hold the infant.
• People should avoid singing, shouting, raising voices and/or playing music at a volume that makes normal conversation difficult or that may encourage shouting. This is because of the potential for increased risk of transmission from aerosol and droplets.Therefore, spoken responses during marriages or civil partnerships should also not be in a raised voice.
• Activities such as singing, chanting, shouting and/or playing of instruments that are blown into should be specifically avoided.
• People from different households should maintain social distancing between one another. 
• Any persons displaying symptoms should not attend.

For the full outline of current guidelines and restrictions read more direct from the Government website.

Did you know? Not only have small wedding receptions been given the green light, but wedding shows will also be resuming from 1st October. A must-visit wedding planning resource, meeting face to face with suppliers at local wedding events is invaluable and over on our County Wedding Events website you can keep up to date with the latest events happening in your area from October.

Throughout lockdown to support the wedding industry and to help couples continue planning their wedding days, County Wedding Magazines has been available to download for FREE! From the coastal delights of Devon and Cornwall to the country havens in Shropshire and Gloucestershire we have a county for you; you can read not just one but all of our 19 County Wedding Magazine titles for FREE by downloading direct from our websites.