To think my 10th July wedding is not going to happen

[covidbride]

We're sending wedding invites out this week for our 10th July wedding and my husband is adamant the data looks good and we will be unlocked on 21st and can have our 150 person marquee wedding.

I want to share his optimism but I just can't see it happening? And part of me thinks mentally I'd rather pony myself up for a 30 man wedding so something was concrete in my mind?

We've currently got plans D,E and F mapped out as this wedding has been moved twice already! I thought he was accepting it might not be a big do but then the Andrew Marr show at the weekend suggested all was good. I honestly can't tell media hype from anything else at this stage.

@MargosKaftan you're so right! I also have people asking me why I want to invite more than a couple of people to my wedding who had tiny weddings pre-covid - well... surely even for those who chose something different it's not NEWS that many people like to invite at least close family members to their weddings. If there was some clear end point to all this I'm sure we'd be booking our weddings for after it, but there isn't is there?

I feel your pain, OP. My wedding was booked for October last year. All through the summer, I couldn’t relax or enjoy planning as I didn’t know if it would happen or not. Did take some of the excitement away, especially since I didn’t see family much in that time. In the end, I was very lucky and lockdown came back a week after our wedding.

I think 150 guests might be too big for July (although you may get away with it on your own land), but fingers crossed for you.

Restrictions are being lifted on 21 June.
I'm pretty sure there will be protests if it doesn't happen ?

I think it'll go. I hope so! If invited, I'd go.

@Whichjab we have been preparing for August also which is why it was a kick in the teeth when we were told this last week.

Tricky

I don’t think numbers over 100 will be allowed but be nice if were

It’s our 3rd attempt , 4th if include venue change, end of July

Was 15. Now 30. Be over joyed if 75 as that was our day

Evening guested were I think 60:80 but if they can’t come then so be it

Whatever The number we will get married if we can

But just horrible not knowing , and guests being on standby as such
We want to be married. Not have a wedding day iyswim

Honestly, mumsnet is full of people who seem to hate weddings and find invites as some sort of insult! I bloody love a good wedding. Getting emotional about people I like making a big, public commitment, then eating lovely food catching up with family or old friends, then getting drunk and dancing with dh - all with a new frock, what's not to love about that?!

But do factor in if your weddings can go ahead - this might be the first time anyone has worn heels for over a year and have forgotten how to do that. Also more than one lady might be in a dress she bought prior to the lockdown pounds were added and so will be trying to get through the day in the most industrial shape wear available...

There is no reason whatsoever numbers would end up capped at 100.

I think the numbers will be capped- I think they won’t want to go full force with large indoor gatherings even at that stage

@Honeybee2021

I think the numbers will be capped- I think they won’t want to go full force with large indoor gatherings even at that stage

I'd think so too if thousands weren't going to the snooker etc which is indoors

I was in a cafe yesterday for the first time. There were more people in there than guests we want to invite to our open barn / marquee wedding

@Herecomesspring1

I work for the NHS on the Covid response and we’ve been told by NHS England to be prepared to return to an incident level 4 by June 1st which means the return of the local tier system. We’re currently ensuring all system responses will be able to be back in place by that date. That might affect your venue being able to host your wedding.

Suuuuuuuuurrreeeeeee

I think you’re pretty safe. We can’t have another summer of no weddings (a £15bi addition to the economy), no festivals, events, gigs, theatre performances etc.
It’s all well and good the people whose jobs and wages have remained unaffected by the pandemic being —gleefully— pessimistic but the reality is that the vaccines are working.

The ceasing of events has been catastrophic for many thousands of people. People have lost their businesses, homes and marriages because of it. Deaths and hospitalisations are very low. Covid deaths stand at about 3-5 per day and suicide rates are around 18 per day in the UK.

It's more likely to be a capacity thing, in my opinion rather than a number. Ie your venue has a 200 person capacity and you need to operate at a 50% of it. They can't open concerts and say only 100 people can gather.

Anyway i hoping my party on the same date as your wedding can go ahead, so I'm crossing my fingers for no restrictions too.

I am meant to be going to a wedding in July and I am secretly hoping that the government restricts numbers because I don't feel very safe.

I will have had one vaccine by then, not both, and I just don't want to be in big groups until I've had both jabs.

But I don't think I can get out of it really.

@breadbinbaby

I’m planning the same sized wedding for June 26th. I don’t really know why people think it’s such an impossibility. Step 4 is to lift restrictions on June 21st, and ministers are saying they’re confident that will go ahead as planned - assuming it does, what would stop you having that size of wedding?

Hmm, I recall Johnson saying Christmas would be fine?? If he said it was raining I would look out of the window. Hopefully it will be fine OP, but I would also have reservations.

@garlictwist

I am meant to be going to a wedding in July and I am secretly hoping that the government restricts numbers because I don't feel very safe.

I will have had one vaccine by then, not both, and I just don't want to be in big groups until I've had both jabs.

But I don't think I can get out of it really.

If you don’t feel safe then please tell Bruce and groom

I wouldn’t be offended if one of my guests said that to me

Far better you cancel then they pay out fir your meal etc

I think the gov are being overly optimistic with the 21st June date and I really don’t trust a word they say anymore anyway. Remember when they said it was absolutely safe for children to return to school on the Sunday, kids went back on the Monday then we entered national lockdown Monday night. Nice one.

I suspect they’ll use the Indian variant and places like Bolton as an excuse not to unlock. They’ll drag it out until at least the end of this year.

We’re in an entirely different situation to the one we were in at Christmas. I’m not saying there’s no possibility that Step 4 will be delayed, obviously it might be - but equally it very much might not be and that seems likely to be the case, and moving to Step 4 is all that needs to happen for big weddings to go ahead, so I do think it’s strange that some posters consider OP’s wedding such a remote possibility.

@garlictwist they seem to be doing second doses around week 9 now. My DH has cancelled his second dose and managed to get one 3 weeks earlier.

My second dose is five weeks after the first (it was going to be even less but I couldn’t do the first date they offered). They’re clearly willing and to some extent able to speed the second doses right up, which is another plus for the roadmap.

What do people here think about winter weddings? Mine is in December

Hmm, I recall Johnson saying Christmas would be fine??
I think the gov are being overly optimistic with the 21st June date and I really don’t trust a word they say anymore anyway. Remember when they said it was absolutely safe for children to return to school on the Sunday, kids went back on the Monday then we entered national lockdown Monday night.

You’re really comparing December/ January (1000 deaths per day and very few vaccinations) to June (3 covid deaths per day and over half the population vaccinated)?

The OP has a party planned in her garden in a marquee, so as long as you can put the sides up on the marquee, it should meet the criteria of outside, so less strict restrictions. The advantage of that over a church wedding and hotel booking, is you will be able to spread the seats out. So it should be relatively easy to change your plans if there are some restrictions in place.

@garlictwist - I think you need to stop hoping it won't happen and accept that it will, probably without restrictions. Why can't you get out of it?

I would think most couples would rather you said now that you won't go, than have you make up an excuse of fake illness at the last minute or just say that you won't go and never wanted to. If you say now, they've got time to work round that.

What criteria would make you happy to go to a big wedding? Having your 2nd jab? Deaths are already down to single figures and outside of the 8 hotspots there are very few cases in most areas. Think about what criteria would make you happy, and how likely it is that will happen in the next 12 months.