Raise your glasses, outdoor ceremony lovers! After consultation and a bit of deliberation, the government have opted to make the temporary outdoor ceremony measure a permanent fixture. You can read the official press release here:
There are definitely not many positives from the pandemic, but the disruption has caused a few ripples that are actually welcome. Back in the summer of 2021, temporary legislation was introduced to allow legal ceremonies to take place outside in the grounds of currently licensed venues. This meant that couples and their guests could go ahead with their plans without having to cut the guest list or worry as much about health risks. Safe to say, it worked really well, with venues adapting their offers and finding some great spots in their grounds to use.
working with the new outdoor wedding legislation
Behind the scenes it got a bit more complicated for us all. Lots of checks and measures were being carried out to make sure all the new outdoor locations were easy and safe for staff and guests to access, and that everything would be in place for seamless ceremonies. Thanks so much to all the venues for working with us so positively to make it all come together. We love the ceremony side of our work – the romance, drama and joy is brilliant, but that just the beautiful tip of the iceberg for us. We also have the slightly more boring job of making sure all the legalities and safety checks are in place for the couples and the venue. Trust us, it’s not a day where you want things to go wrong! Adding covid measures in to the mix was no mean feat, but venues and registrars across the region (and the whole country) rose to the challenge to make as many special days go ahead as we could.
New outdoor venues?
So, essentially, this news now means we carry on with business as (the new) normal, working with the set up we’ve had since July. But….what we’re really looking forward to is hearing more details about whether we can license exciting new venues who currently specialise in outdoor or marquee blessings. Previously, we’ve not been able to license them for legal ceremonies because they don’t have a permanent indoor venue. Knowing that the temporary rules will be permanent potentially opens up a whole host of fantastic locations who might now take the plunge and go for approved status. We will keep you all posted when more detailed info filters through. These are exciting times indeed for the wedding scene!
If you own a Somerset or North Somerset outdoor venue, or know one where you’d love to be able have your legal vows, get in touch at somersetregistrations@somerset.org.uk and tell us all about it.
