The government plans to ease restrictions on weddings in England to deal with the huge backlog of people on hold by allowing fathers to lead their daughters to the altar without face covering and to swap guests between tables
Fathers are allowed to lead their daughters to the altar without a mask (
Image: Getty Images / iStockphoto)
New government plans allow fathers to lead their daughters to the altar at weddings.
As part of the relaxation of the Covid restrictions, guests at wedding receptions can also switch between the tables in new measures.
Cabinet Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Secretary of Commerce Paul Scully have been working with the wedding industry to see how couples’ big days could be made easier for them, reports The Telegraph.
The 30 guest limit for ceremonies in England was lifted earlier this week, which means that any number of guests can now be invited to a wedding reception or ceremony as long as it takes place outside.
Newlyweds can perform a first dance, but all other dances are still prohibited
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Ministers are now also trying to make additional changes, due to be announced in the next few days, to ensure couples’ weddings are not ruined by overly strict Covid-19 rules.
However, venues must still adhere to social distancing rules, which limits the number of people they can accommodate. They must also provide table service and face covering must be worn by everyone under the age of 11 except the bride and groom, the exempted persons, and the person performing the ceremony.
Dancing and singing are also not allowed – however, the couple are allowed to perform their first dance.
The restrictions on weddings in England are slowly being relaxed
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Under the plans proposed by Mrs. Mordaunt and Mr. Scully, the bride’s father would not be required to wear a mask when leading the bride down the aisle before the marriage vows.
They also plan to relax restrictions on what is known as “vertical drinking,” which means that guests are currently not allowed to walk between tables holding a drink.
Last month, The Telegraph in Whitehall raised concerns about a large backlog of weddings that could not take place during the pandemic. In Worcestershire alone, there are now more than 2,000 couples waiting to tie the knot.
One idea was to hire an army of temporary registrars to hold the weddings and prevent frustrated couples from having to wait months to tie the knot.
There were also concerns that some families would circumvent the rules by asking people to meet in a pub in a socially distant way.
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