Rule-Breaker Weddings: People Are Ignoring Coronavirus Restrictions And Having Loads Of Guests Anyway…

Couples are breaking covid lockdown wedding rules to have bigger receptions than allowed – sometimes inviting more than three times the legal limit, Grazia has been told.

One west London wedding hit headlines this week, after police were called in to break it up. The Tudor Rose venue in Southall, west London will now be fined more than £10,000 after it allowed a wedding of more than 100 people to take place.

Under the new restrictions, wedding receptions are capped at 15 people in tier 1 and tier 2. In Tier 3, you can have a wedding ceremony of up to 15 people (this includes everyone, the bride, groom, registrar etc, but wedding receptions are banned.

And if wedding receptions take place in tier 1 and 2, they must be sit-down meals in covid safe venues. Social distancing should also apply - the government site adds: ' During all activity linked to the marriage ceremony or civil partnership formation, all parties should adhere to social distancing guidelines. This means people should be 2 metres apart or more than 1 metre apart as well as taking extra steps to stay safe (such as wearing face coverings) to reduce the risk of transmission.'

But some people are flouting the rules, by hosting receptions – and even weddings – in their homes and private properties and ignoring the government guidance.

It’s estimated that since weddings were banned under coronavirus lockdown rules, more than 73,500 weddings and same-sex civil partnership ceremonies had to be cancelled. Many people opted to postpone weddings for later in the year – and now are unwilling to cancel again.

Sarah* told us her friends were due to get married in April, then postponed to September and now, not wanting to delay again, are inviting more than 90 people to a reception party.

‘Their wedding was set to be big, with around 250 guests,’ she says. ‘Obviously, that sort of wedding still isn’t possible so I assumed they would postpone again. My friend told me that, actually, they just wanted to be married so were going to go ahead, which I thought was lovely.

‘I assumed the plan was to enjoy a bigger celebration whenever that might be possible – but then she let me know that, while only immediate family would be invited to the actual ceremony, she’s asking 90 people to the reception. 90 people isn’t really a compromise – that’s still quite a big wedding.

‘Just to rub salt into the wound, they’ve also uninvited some of their closest friends and family, who are all really upset that they didn’t make ‘the cut’. It seems pretty entitled to so deliberately flout the rules like this – while I want them to be happy, I don’t really feel like I can go for obvious reasons. If you’re hellbent on having a big party, I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t wait.’

Meanwhile Jess* says her friend is openly trying to figure out how she can have more people at her wedding.

‘She was supposed to get married in the Caribbean this year, obviously Coronavirus had other plans,’ she told Grazia. ‘She's one of the lucky ones, the wedding is still going ahead but many of the guests aren't able to attend, so she's having a ceremony at her house in London too.

‘She got in touch with me to say that if she was having a ceremony at her house, she'd let me know if there was space for me to come along. I totally understood - if you're only allowed 30 people between you and your fiancé, family takes precedence over friends, plus I'd rather her tell me than me see it on her Instagram.

‘Then, a group of us were out for drinks one evening and I overheard her tell her husband-to-be that an aunt had offered to officiate the ceremony, and she'd 'be cool' about not sticking to the 30 people limit.

‘Her husband-to-be wasn't keen on the idea of the aunt being involved - it didn't seem to be because of the idea of bending the rules, he just didn't like the aunt in question. So the latest I've heard is they're trying to find someone to officiate who will be ok with them having more than 30 people.

‘I've had my official invitation and it will be in her very large garden so I'm happy to go along - but I'm currently Googling “wedding guest dresses with matching masks”.’

So, what do you think? Is it understandable that people just want to have their big day after a hellish year – especially if they’ve had to already postpone? Or is it selfish and a sign that, when there’s a wedding involved, we’re not really ‘all in it together’ anymore?

* Names have been changed

READ MORE: Coronavirus: What Should I Do If I Had A Wedding Planned This Summer?

READ MORE: 'My Mum Is 87 And Sick - She Might Not Get To See Me Get Married': The Reality Of Cancelling A Wedding Because Of Coronavirus

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