East wedding venue says 'Freedom Day' delay is really tough
Copdock Hall are one of many venues affected by the delay
Wedding venues across the East will be trying to work out what to do now, after a mixture of good and bad news for the industry.
Last night, the Prime Minister announced a four-week delay to the final easing of lockdown restrictions.
However, 21st of June will still mean changes for weddings, with the cap of 30 guests lifted.
They will still have to comply with social distancing, though.
Ian Evans owns Copdock Hall in the East of England and says the industry has been devastated in the last 15 months:
"We can survive and we have survived.
"It's been really, really tough.
"We have been living with this uncertainty now for 16 months.
"Our staff have been living with it, our suppliers and most importantly our couples.
"A lot of them have been thinking it will be their biggest day and for a lot of them it's been their biggest nightmare."
The easing of lockdown restrictions has been pushed back to 19th July because of concerns about the Delta, or Indian, variant of coronavirus.
It is hoped that this delay will allow the vaccine programme to get many more people jabbed and bring down infection rates.
But for many businesses, including those in the wedding industry, it's more pain and worry over the future.
Ian told us it's been groundhog day for many couples who’ve had to postpone their plans:
"I've always described it as the trilogy really: we have births, deaths and marriages.
"I think they are intrinsic to our society.
"People underestimate how important a wedding is to get friends and family and celebrate the union of two people.
"For a lot of our couples, it's been hard for them."
So what will happen on 21st June?
Weddings
The 30 guest limit will be removed. There will be no numeric restriction on guests at weddings, however the capacity of venues will be limited by social distancing. There must be table service at the wedding and you won't be able to have a dancefloor inside the venue.
Funerals
The guest limit on funerals will be scrapped as well. At the moment only 30 mourners are allowed, but from the 21st July the cap will be lifted and as long as social distancing is followed, there will be no limit.
Care homes
Care home residents will no longer need to self-isolate for 14 days after leaving for visits in most cases.
Theatres
Restrictions on going to the theatre will remain in place as they are now, so they can open but with with COVID-secure measures in place, including social distancing.
Pilot events such as Euro 2020 and some theatrical performances, will continue though, indicating some events will be allowed larger crowds than under the restrictions currently in place as part of the research programme.
Pubs and restaurants
Restrictions on pubs, cafes, bars and restaurants will remain as they are at the moment. Social distancing will have to be adhered to and there must be table service.
Nightclubs
Nightclubs will remain closed until at least 19th July
Home working
People are being asked to continue working from home where possible.