Reopening for Ceremonies

Last week, the Government announced that wedding ceremonies can now be held in religious buildings and approved venues. This means what we can start to hold weddings again in our stately wedding venue, Capesthorne Hall.

This is the news that couples all over the country have been waiting for and they are no doubt desperate to understand what this means for their wedding plans.In the last couple of weeks, we’ve speculated on what post Covid-19 weddings might look like, bringing together information from other countries. I’m happy to say that some of those predictions are incorrect.The first one is that the ceremonies can hold up to thirty people which is way more than the ten in Northern Ireland. However, as previously mentioned, those thirty must include staff from our Hall, two registrars, the photographer and yourselves. This means you have a maximum of twenty-three guests to invite.The second thing couples need to pay attention to is that this is a relaxing of the rules regarding the ceremony only. Unfortunately, current advice strongly recommends that you do not have a drinks reception or wedding breakfast meal afterwards.To me though, that seems like a small sacrifice for the safety of yourselves, your guests and the Hall staff.At Capesthorne Hall, we would be delighted to host both parts of your wedding, your ceremony and your reception, even if there is a year between them. Contact us on 01625 861 221 or email us at info@capesthorne.com to discuss how we can make your wedding dreams come true.So, this leads me to the big question, should you hold off on your wedding until you can have your ceremony and wedding breakfast together?There’s lots of speculation about when big ceremonies will be allowed again, with next year being the most popular assumption. I guess there is no right or wrong answer to this, just what is best for you. But, if I was to give a personal opinion, I would say don’t wait. Have your wedding.Weddings really matter. They are a sign of your life-long promise to another person to be there when things are difficult as well as good. Like now. Times are tough, this journey out of lock-down may be harder than when we went into it so what is more symbolic of our striving for the future than to make that promise of commitment at this time?