Published 13th March, updated 1st July
Lots of couples are deeply concerned about how Covid-19 will affect their wedding plans. We’ve gathered some helpful information and advice to keep you informed. We’ve included information on who can help you make the decision on whether to postpone your wedding, what to do about destination weddings and honeymoons, and how to communicate if you do choose to postpone.
Update on 1st July:
It looks like Summer weddings are back! The government has announced that lockdown restrictions will begin to relax over the next few weeks. With social distancing measures in place, gatherings of up to 50 people indoors can take place in July, and up to 100 people from 20th July.
Current
Headcount is limited to 50 people indoors and 200 people outdoors.
20th July onwards
Headcount is limited to 100 people indoors and 500 people outdoors.
Current Government Guidelines
(Updated 1st July)
Summer weddings are back! But if you do plan to get married, please keep in mind that social distancing measures and health protection protocols will still be in place. Click here to take a look more detailed wedding guidelines, such as safe ways for guests to enter and exit the building, signage, seating capacities and spacing, meal service, and dance floors.
Related: Guidelines for Re-opening Hotels and Guesthouses (scroll to section 23 for Weddings)
Related: Revised Roadmap
Should I postpone my wedding?
There is a government recommendation for indoor social gatherings to be limited to 100 people maximum and for outdoor gatherings to exceed no more than 500 people. These restrictions are subject to change and are in place until 29th March 2020. The decision to postpone or not should be taken in consultation with all the relevant parties; family, guests, venue and suppliers. We recommend first including your wedding venue and solemniser in the conversation. Their thoughts will be crucial in helping you make a decision.
Wedding venue – Each venue is initiating its own contingency plans for what to do, so it is best to communicate directly with your wedding venue’s point of contact. The decision to go ahead with the wedding, to downsize your guestlist and proceed or to reschedule is one you should make with your wedding venue.
Solemniser – Your solemniser is the person who will ensure that you are legally married. Whether you are opting to downsize your wedding and go ahead anyway, or you want to reschedule your wedding altogether, it is important to communicate with your solemniser directly or with HSE.
What about destination weddings and honeymoons abroad?
There are travel restrictions to all of Italy, parts of Spain, China and other parts of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. These restrictions are evolving daily, so it is best to be in close communication with your venue, airline or travel agent.
We recommend following the latest travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs, which you can read here.
If I choose to postpone, how do I communicate this?
It is best to keep communication open with everybody involved. The suppliers you have paid to bring your wedding dreams to life, your bridal party who have been supporting you along the way, and your guests! Our advice is to communicate clearly and openly and to make sure you don’t leave any space for ambiguity or misunderstanding.
All suppliers – Work your way through your list of suppliers and make contact with each of them to update them on your plans. If you don’t yet have a new wedding date, let your suppliers know that you will contact them as soon as you do. Keep in mind that each supplier you speak with will be having similar conversations with other couples, so it is important to have a written record of all agreements you come to.
Bridal party – There are lots of tasks to be done at this point in the wedding planning, so contact anybody you have asked to help you with these tasks. Things like collecting family members from the airport or helping to pick up decor items. Anybody who has been asked to help with any wedding-related task should be updated.
Guests – In the middle of this confusing time, your guests will need to be updated on your plans. If you do decide to postpone your wedding, as devastating as that will be, everybody will understand. Make sure that you communicate clearly and that everybody understands what is happening. Send out an email or message to each guest, making sure to include your new wedding date if you have one. Advise guests to contact their accommodation provider and consider their travel plans, particularly for those traveling from abroad. Expect lots of replies, but don’t feel any pressure to respond to all of them right away.
How will this affect my wedding insurance?
Because this is such a unique situation and a very new illness, we cannot advise on individual policies. We recommend getting in touch with your insurance company and ask what they cover.
For more information
Keep up to date with key information here:
https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/c36c85-covid-19-coronavirus/
https://www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/coronavirus.html
https://www.dfa.ie/travel/travel-advice/coronavirus/
Join our wedding planning community and share your experiences at HIGM (weddingsonline – Help! I’m getting married).
