Couples are able to get married in Wales once again, following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
From 22 June, small weddings are allowed in places of worship and registry offices with social distancing measures in place. Guests are permitted to travel from outside their local area to attend.
Previously, weddings could only take place in Wales under exceptional circumstances, such as if one person was terminally ill.
Restrictions
The easing of restrictions follows calls from a Christian couple, Ian Choi and Elizabeth Facer, who started a petition on the issue after they were forced to postpone their wedding.
They said that it had been hard to communicate to people that “we’re not asking for a party, we’re asking to be able to get married”.
In Northern Ireland, outdoor weddings can already take place with up to 10 people present. England is expected to allow marriages from 4 July and Scotland is expected to allow outdoor weddings from 29 June.
‘Profoundly affected’
Earlier this month, campaign group Coalition for Marriage (C4M) called on the Government to end the ban on weddings.
In a blog post, C4M said that many lives have been “profoundly affected” by the ban, with the cancellation of ceremonies having had “significant financial consequences for many”.
Writing ahead of the changes allowing small weddings in Northern Ireland, the pro-marriage group said that, while sensible guidance for public health needs to be observed, “ways need to be found for people to get married once again”.
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