With Ireland slowly opening up from its COVID-19 lockdown, couples around the country were given some good news last week with Irish Weddings Possible From July. Leo Varadkar announced last Friday that weddings can take place indoors with up to 50 people from June 29th and up to 100 people from July 20th.
You can download the full guidance for weddings from Failte Ireland (PDF) to see how the new rules might affect your Mrs-to-be’s wedding day plans. Check page 29 for wedding details.
Dates For Summer Weddings In Ireland
Weddings From June 29th
From June 29th until July 19th, weddings in Ireland will be allowed to go ahead with up to 50 guests indoors and up to 200 guests outdoors.
Weddings After July 20th
From July 20th, weddings will be allowed to take place with up to 100 guests indoors and up to 500 guests outdoors.
Social Distancing Measures
On the day, the following social distancing measures may have to be in place for your wedding ceremony and reception:
- Ceremony seating will need to be socially distanced
- Reception seating will need to be socially distanced
- Social distancing is required on dance floors
- Doors should be automatic, propped open (where safe) or manually opened by staff
- Venues should provide hand sanitiser and appropriate signage with guidelines
- Canapes should be served in individual portions
- Drinks receptions are recommended to take place in a private area
- Salt, pepper and butter should be given at the reception on request
- No shared dishes or family-style food for wedding reception meals, e.g. communal vegetables or gravy boats
- Drinks should be served by a member of staff and there should be no shared water jugs
How Your Guest List Might Be Affected
Some wedding venues have suggested that the guest list number restrictions for the dates outlined above include everyone in your venue space, including you, the groom, your guests, your suppliers and the venue staff.
Just to be safe, you should probably have a chat with your wedding venue to see how they are implementing the rules and how this might affect your guest list size.
Destination Weddings
With many countries still under partial or full lockdowns, there is no clear guidance yet for destinations weddings in 2020. Your planning will have to depend on your destination and what local rules your suppliers there will have to follow.
We recommend you regularly check the Irish government’s advice on travelling during the Coronavirus pandemic to see how you might be affected.
For more information on organising a stag party get in touch and we’ll be happy to organise a Covid-friendly or virtual stag party!
