Coronavirus: What will a wedding look like in Wales?

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Bride wearing a maskImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Ceremonies must remain socially distanced

Rings need to be cleaned before being exchanged and vows must be spoken quietly as part of new guidance on weddings and civil partnerships.

The Welsh Government lifted the ban on ceremonies on 22 June and has published guidance during the coronavirus pandemic.

Weddings can take place in places of worship if those venues want to hold them.

Register offices may have limited availability for ceremonies.

Other venues with wedding licences must remain closed.

People can only tie the knot in a place of worship or a register office and communal singing is no longer allowed.

Guests

It will be down to individual places of worship and register offices to decide the number of guests allowed to attend a wedding.

They will need to base the decision around the ability to accommodate the 2m social distancing rule between households.

People must only attend the wedding if they are invited, with the only exception being if someone wishes to raise a lawful impediment against the marriage.

People with symptoms of coronavirus or who are self-isolating should not attend and extra care should be taken where a vulnerable or at-risk person decides to attend.

Guests who would need to travel long distances requiring a stop on the way or an overnight stay are encouraged not to attend.

Couples should be helped to broadcast their ceremony online for guests who cannot attend, if they wish to do so.

Officiants are allowed to suspend a ceremony if they feel the couple or guests aren't respecting the physical distancing measures in place.

Media caption,

Ian and Elizabeth were among the first to get married after rules were eased

Ceremony

People are recommended to wear masks if they are from different households and need to come within 2m of each other as part of the ceremony.

The couple themselves would not need to distance from each other.

The couple would also have to wash their hands after exchanging rings.

Spoken responses or vows should be made in a "lowered voice", because raised voices or shouting increases the risk of transmission through droplets.

Communal singing and playing instruments that are blown into should be avoided under the guidance, while hymn books need to be removed from the premises.

When travelling to or from the ceremony, limousines or other hired vehicles should only be used if there is no other option, and a glass panel should be placed between passengers and the driver.

Receptions

Social gatherings or receptions after the ceremony are not allowed and the usual restrictions apply, meaning just two households can meet outdoors.

People other than those invited to attend are not allowed to gather outside of the place of worship or register office.

No food or drink may be sold at the place of worship or register office.