How to be creative with 30 person restrictions?

I'm not sure about having two separate parties and whether this would break rules or not - why not ask your venue? They should be able to advise if they can allow this or not.

As far as 30 person weddings go, we too are having a small wedding in June this year (~35 people) and felt that an evening disco/party feel wouldn't feel right with fewer people and might end up being awkward so we decided against that, but then I was concerned that not having an evening disco would mean that everything would finish early and we'd be left with a really anti-climactic end to our wedding day where everyone just goes home! So we've planned everything to happen a bit later than usual - our ceremony is at 3pm, followed by a drinks reception with some entertainment, then the wedding breakfast won't even start until 6pm-ish, so will run through til 8.30/9ish with the speeches too. Once everyone has another drink or two in the bar afterwards, and we cut the cake, maybe have a first dance too then this will bring us to the end of the night nicely. Still undecided whether to have any kind of official 'entertainment' after the meal, but not going to worry too much as there won't be lots of time to fill.

Venues won't allow that as it would risk them loosing their licence/ paying huge fines. Someone posted about this before. The wedding is seen as a whole so it's the same people all day. Otherwise the evening would be just considered a party/dinner party as such with restrictions for indoor meeting etc. So you wouldn't get 30 different people again as it would not be a wedding as such. It would just be whatever the rules on indoor meeting are at that time...

Ours is 2pm 16th June and 30 guests only (well 28+the two of us as that’s the rules) we weren’t going to have an evening do at all as we didn’t feel the need to so instead our day consists of the main ceremony followed by a toast with the additional guests (plus ones, children and aunts and uncles watching online) then drinks and canapés and photos then a unity ceremony as giant games are forbidden we have opted for quizzes inside the order of the booklets the wedding breakfast will be around 4.30 then I have been told I’m not even allowed to throw my bouquet due to COVID restrictions. Carriages at 7pm it’s a day time do only. We’ve provided goodie bags for all those attending as everyone has to be seated in household bubbles. Those of you getting married before 21st June like us be aware that you lose control of all the traditions that you see in the movies as COVID-19 has really sucked out all the fun in wedding planning. If your weather isn’t great and you’re forced to marry indoors then you also have to factor in your suppliers to the 28 numbers! We need to get a petition going to allow all 4 nations to have 50 guests minimum especially if the venues can handle it! So unfair that Scotland are allowed and England isn’t!

@Nisha-Jasmine. Those working at a wedding are not counted in the numbers so you are ok with your 28

Sunny Ivory Cars I think that RomanticBrownStationery29719 has got it right. Weddings would be having a dispensation to allow 30 and your separate evening guests swap over would fall under the rules of people meeting indoors EVEN if your venue allows it, I think it could be just 6 people as it stands at the moment. I have to say as a professional photographer, if I were shooting your wedding I would have to decline staying for the extra part in the evening because as the law stands at the moment it sounds like that would be a breach.

View quoted message We are having a fun casino in the evening for a couple of hours, also looking into a silent disco just waiting for my venue to say whether that would be permitted as we are getting married at hotel, if not thinking about outdoor jenga or connect 4 as we have use of an outdoor area weather permitting

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With music the rule has been you are not to have it so loud as that you have to raise your voice to be heard. Wonder if a silent disco would be ok, but then the headphones would prevent normal voice volume being heard also. Ahhh !

View quoted message We've been told by the fun casino that they have it all covered and organised in such a way that they are covid compliant

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Brilliant. I edited my post to remove the bit about the casino because I thought I was perhaps coming over too negative. Its just because I have had it with some of my covid couples where they have been told they can do x y and z and I'm thinking "that aint going to happen" and I do warn them but they have ended up being disappointed at the last minute when the venue properly checks the rules and realises something can not happen.

On the other hand I have also had instances where something could totally 100% happen within the rules and a venue has been so very risk averse and said no.

View quoted message It's a nightmare time as the rules change but feeling optimistic about the casino and so far everyone has said its permitted.

View quoted message Wendy I can’t wait to hear how your wedding goes with the casino & hopefully the silent disco. If it comes to this for me in October I might need recommendations please! As I love the idea! ☺️☺️

View quoted message My venue says they think that the silent disco is a no as we are not allowed to dance but after June 21st it might be different but our wedding is the 5th and only 30 guests