Covid 19 – Getting Married in Ireland

Advice on Wedding Restrictions | Updated 3 September 2021

Updated, government-verified information in Q&A format!

Save The Date Weddings are constantly being asked about restrictions when getting married so to answer all or as many of your queries as possible we have compiled all the advice into a handy Q&A. As you will see the Irish government has stated that a wedding of up to 100 guests can now take place, however, they have left some details open to interpretation!

Also, earlier this week, it was announced that ‘LIVE’ music is now permitted at weddings, and also dancing will be allowed from September 6th! The 11.30 pm curfew will also be lifted from the 22nd of October. In fact, all final wedding restrictions will be lifted from the 22nd of October 2021.

So, we have done our best here to make this as easy as possible, there are grey areas that are yet to be clarified by government officials. We will update this article if any new information arises and as always any questions are welcome. Questions to: info@savethedateweddings.ie or message on Instagram or Facebook.

Important Note: Covid 19 Content

Save The Date Weddings.ie do not want to ill-advised couples on advice on getting married during a pandemic. We do not want to publish incorrect or misleading information that would put any of our couples and their families and friends at risk to their health. So we have decided to publish all our information from official government sources.

Weddings in Ireland after 5^th August 2021

WEDDING GUESTS

1. How many guests are allowed at my wedding? 
   From August 5th, 100 guests will be permitted at wedding ceremonies and receptions, as stated here.
2. Do guests have to be vaccinated to attend my wedding? 
   As there’s no mention of it here, it’s safe to assume that there’s no requirement for wedding guests to produce a vaccine passport in order to attend a wedding.
3. 200 guests are allowed to attend outdoor events. Does this mean I can have 200 guests at my wedding if it takes place outdoors? 
   According to the Failte Ireland guidelines, no, the upper limit for weddings is still 100 guests.
4. Are my children to be included in the number of guests? 
   We’ve had lots of questions on this since it was announced that children would be included in the restrictions around general outdoor and indoor dining, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there are any exemptions for children at weddings, as they are not mentioned in the updated guidelines provided by Fáilte Ireland to Hotels and Guesthouses. No clarification has been provided on this matter by the government as of yet.
5. Are my guests’ children included in the number of guests? 
   Again lots of questionson this since it was announced that children would be included in the restrictions around general outdoor and indoor dining, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there are any exemptions for children at weddings, as they are not mentioned in the updated guidelines provided by Fáilte Ireland to Hotels and Guesthouses. No clarification has been provided on this matter by the government as of yet.
6. Are babies included in the number of guests? 
   We’ve had lots of questions on this since it was announced that children would be included in the restrictions around general outdoor and indoor dining, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there are any exemptions for children at weddings, as they are not mentioned in the updated guidelines provided by Fáilte Ireland to Hotels and Guesthouses. No clarification has been provided on this matter by the government as of yet.
7. Does the priest, celebrant or officiant count in the 100 guests? 
   Priests, celebrants and officiants are not wedding guests, so we’re inclined to think that they’re not however, we haven’t been able to find any official information to back this one up. 

WEDDING VENUES

• Are wedding receptions permitted to take place at non-traditional venues, for example, restaurants, pubs, and private residences? This isn’t mentioned in any of the current guidance on wedding restrictions, but there has been a lot of confusion around this in the past. At Level 5, the COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 Roadmap stated that weddings of up to 6 guests were permitted “regardless of venue,” suggesting that receptions could be hosted at non-traditional venues, but some venue owners were unsure whether they could interpret this as permission to host weddings. No clarification has been provided on this matter by the government as of yet.
• What types of weddings are permitted? As stated here, weddings of up to 100 guests can take place. As stated in the guidelines provided by Fáilte Ireland to Hotels and Guesthouses, receptions are required to be sit-down meals only.
• Is there a curfew on how late a wedding can run unitl? A curfew of 11.30pm applies but will now be removed from October 22nd 2021, as stated here.
• Are Day-Two gatherings permitted? A maximum of 200 attendees are permitted to attend outdoor events “at the majority of venues”, as stated here. Indoor dining is also possible, but subject to restrictions detailed here. 
• Does a marquee qualify as an indoor or outdoor venue? Failte Ireland provided a definition of an outdoor space here, advising that a marquee or gazebo with a roof and four sizes is not an outdoor space. The guidelines state that an outdoor place or premises is one that is covered by a roof, so long as not more than 50% of the perimeter (outside) is covered by a wall, windows, gate or similar.
• Is it still a maximum of 6 to a table at the reception? As per the Failte Ireland guidelines, “a maximum of 6 persons aged 13 or over” is permitted per table. The total combined capacity at a table cannot exceed 15 overall (max 6 persons aged 13 and over). This is changing from the 22nd October.

TRAVEL FOR WEDDINGS

1. Are couples permitted to travel within Ireland to attend their own wedding? 
   Yes, as stated here.
2. Are guests permitted to travel within Ireland to attend a wedding? 
   Yes, as stated here.
3. Are couples/wedding guests permitted to travel from abroad to Ireland for a wedding? 
   The government have advised citizens to travel safely and in accordance with public health guidance and restrictions. 
4. Are couples/wedding guests permitted to travel between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to attend a wedding? 
   The government have advised citizens to travel safely and in accordance with public health guidance and restrictions.

WEDDING SERVICES

1. Are couples and guests permitted to stay overnight in a hotel or other tourist accommodation on the night of the wedding? 
   Yes, according to the guidelines provided by Fáilte Ireland to Hotels and Guesthouses.
2. Is live music permitted at a wedding ceremony or reception? 
   From what we are hearing, ‘live’ music will be permitted at a wedding from 6th September 2021. (TBC)
3. Will dancing be permitted at my wedding? 
   Again from what we are hearing, dancing should be permitted at weddings from 6th September. (TBC)

HEALTH & SAFETY AT YOUR WEDDING

1. What is best practice for mask wearing at a wedding? 
   By law, you have to wear masks or face coverings in certain indoor settings, which are defined here. The government also advises wearing a mask or face covering when staying 2 metres apart from people is very difficult, in busy indoor settings and outdoor spaces where a lot of people gather, and around people aged 70+ or people who are medically vulnerable/unvaccinated. Keep all this is mind on the day of your wedding. If you are providing face coverings for your guests, you should ensure that they comply with government guidelines given here. More guidelines on wearing face coverings are available here. For the wedding reception, which must be a sit-down meal only, we can look to Government public health advice on dining at restaurants for guidance. It states that you do not have to wear a face covering or mask while eating and drinking, but you should wear one anytime you’re not at your table, including when arriving at or leaving your table for any reason like going to the toilet. Face coverings or masks must be worn by the staff during the service of the meal, according to the guidelines provided by Fáilte Ireland to Hotels and Guesthouses, which also state that guests should wear face coverings or masks when circulating around the outdoor dining and serving areas and using indoor facilities.
2. Will there be social distancing at my wedding and what is the best practice? 
   While no direct guidance has been provided by the government on social distancing at weddings, we can assume that physical distancing is recommended. The guidelines provided by Fáilte Ireland to Hotels and Guesthouses states that as much furniture as possible should be removed from rooms to ensure maximum space for social distancing at weddings and that there must be adequate spacing between guests at each table. The HSPC Guidance for Food Service Businesses states that physical distancing of at least 1 metre should be maintained between people seated at tables, and physical distancing of at least 2 metres should be maintained between separate tables, although this can be reduced to 1 metre in certain circumstances. Think of your guests as belonging to separate household bubbles, and keeping this in mind when discussing seating arrangements with your ceremony and reception venues. The factors used by the HSE to determine who is considered a close contact of a person with Covid-19 might be useful in risk assessment, too. They can include more than 15 minutes of face-to-face contact within 2 metres of someone who has Covid-19, indoors or outdoors, and sometimes more than 2 hours in an indoor space with someone who has Covid-19. 
3. What is best practice for hand sanitising at a wedding? 
   Government Public Health advice is to wash your hands properly and often, particularly when leaving and arriving at buildings, and before and after being in a crowd indoors or outdoors. According to the guidelines provided by Fáilte Ireland to Hotels and Guesthouses, the venue must ensure that hand sanitisers (including touchless dispensers where possible) are readily available and accessible to all, at each access point 

REGISTRATION OF MARRIAGE

1. Is the registry office for Ireland open? 
   Yes, but the online booking system for marriage notification appointments is not currently available due to the HSE cyber attack, as stated here. Normal services should resume soon.
2. If a couple needs to change wedding date due to Covid-19 restrictions, do they need to reapply for their marriage license? 
   Yes. The HSE have confirmed to us by email that, if a couple has already had their marriage notification appointment, and received their marriage license, but now need to change their date, they will have to reapply, but they will not be charged the statutory fee of €200 again.

RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES

1. Are the Catholic Church permitting wedding ceremonies on a Sunday? 
   Traditionally, Catholic ceremonies didn’t take place on Sundays in Ireland, but, since the pandemic, some dioceses have allowed them. Reports from couples suggest that the policy on this varies from priest to priest, and diocese to diocese, so it’s best to contact your priest, and/or the priest in the church where you hope to get married, to find out more.

WEDDINGS FROM SEPTEMBER 2021 ONWARD

1. When will I be able to have more wedding guests? 
   Unfortunately, we won’t know until further information is issued by the government.
2. When will live music be permitted at wedding receptions? 
   Unfortunately, we won’t know until further information is issued by the government.

Please check back regularly for updates to this article as it is like building an airplane as it’s flying! In this ever-changing pandemic world, we live in at the moment things can change in an instant.