For many couples who had wedding dates during the Covid-19 pandemic, even the best-laid plans have gone awry. Hatty Fisher, 34, and Tom Sweet, 33, from Keston in Kent, were due to get married last September in Oxfordshire – until an unexpected phone call brought bad news. “The vicar rang just before the first lockdown to say that the wedding wouldn’t be able to go ahead as we would need to have attended services at the church for a period of six months to qualify to get married there,” says Fisher. “Because churches were shutting their doors, nobody could attend services. He called just as I was getting off the train after work and I remember bursting out crying.” After fraught discussions, the couple made the difficult decision to postpone their big day. Speaking a few days before the re-arranged wedding, the couple say they are now looking forward to tying the knot on 22 May at Temple Guiting, in Gloucestershire, instead. “To remove any more stress, we changed churches to one that we were already qualified to get married at. It’s actually the parish where I grew up, so it worked out well in the end,” says Fisher. “Postponing it really helped mentally, taking away so much worry. We realised that the world was stressful enough without any added uncertainty. A lot of people had been asking: ‘Will it happen? What are you going to do?’” Thankfully, the pair haven’t incurred any major costs by postponing, as their wedding reception is taking place at a village hall in Great Barrington, Oxfordshire. “We were lucky – the village hall has been great and allowed us to move dates easily, although some suppliers have put up their prices,” says Fisher. Perhaps the biggest change has been the number of guests permitted to attend the nuptials. “We originally had 110 day guests and 30 evening guests, now we’re allowed 30 in total, including Tom and myself,” she says. “After we postponed, we sent everyone on the original guest list notes with the new date. Later we realised that we could probably only invite 30 guests, so we had to send out ‘uninvitations’ to the majority of people – it was a heart-wrenching task. “It was sad putting together the uninvitations and trying to think of what to say to people, but we’ve come to terms with it now and I think most of our guests were understanding,” says Fisher. Ensuring the day is health-and-safety compliant has been a big task for the couple, who were careful to make sure that their reception venue had access to an outside space. “We’ve got a garden that overlooks the Cotswold hills, which should be really nice,” Fisher says. Other aspects of the day are somewhat more unusual. “My dad can’t walk next to me down the aisle, he has to be either in front or behind me, and guests will be wearing masks during the service. “There are other things too. For instance, we can’t have traditional canapes because of sharing risks – each person will have their own plate,” she says. Even choosing wedding rings has been a different experience for the couple. “We weren’t able to shop for our rings together, which is usually a big thing for couples. We had to buy them online instead. “And while I had my dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses sorted, Tom has only just got his shirt because he wanted to feel the material and check the fit, but obviously shops have been shut.” It could seem that much of the traditional wedding experience is being taken away from couples during this time, but Fisher and Sweet have still managed to enjoy hen and stag dos in line with the latest rules. “We did small things, in groups of six!” says Fisher. “A couple of weeks ago, Tom did pitch and putt and frisbee golf, and then went to a beer garden, so it’s nice to have done something.” But while the wedding isn’t the big event they’d first envisaged, smart thinking means the pair still have a honeymoon to look forward to. “Originally, we’d hoped to go to New Zealand, so that’s definitely off the cards, but we took a gamble in November and booked Cornwall, which we’re pleased about,” says Fisher. Despite everything, the couple remain excited about their big day. “It will be the first time our guests have spent a large amount of time with anyone other than their immediate family or their bubble. So I think it will be quite exciting for everyone to be somewhere new and not in their homes. We’re hoping it’ll be really fun. “We’re just very grateful that we can have even 30 people to join us for the day. And we will be grateful to actually be able to get married – at last.” What are we allowed to do in England? Your roadmap questions answered Q: How did the rules for weddings change on 17 May? A: Step three of the roadmap means that larger gatherings (of up to 30 people) are allowed outdoors and at Covid-secure indoor settings for celebratory life events, such as weddings, christenings and wakes. Q: What else are we allowed to do? A: Organised indoor adult group sport and exercise classes were able to resume from 17 May, and steam rooms and saunas were also allowed to reopen. Indoor hospitality, entertainment and sporting venues can reopen, and some large events can go ahead with capacity limits – this includes conferences, concerts, theatre performances and sports gatherings. On top of this, cinemas, bowling alleys and museums are able to open. Q: How important is it to continue following Covid-19 health and safety measures? A: It’s still really vital. About one in three people who have Covid-19 have no symptoms at all and are spreading it without knowing. We still need to be washing our hands regularly, wearing a face covering, keeping space around us when in public, and ventilating our homes thoroughly. Meetings indoors should be restricted to groups of six, or those from two households. It’s also still crucial to exercise caution when in close contact with loved ones; get tested when needed; and have vaccinations when offered. Q: What does this mean for students? A: Face coverings are no longer needed in classrooms or for students in communal areas in secondary schools and colleges. Twice-weekly home testing will remain in place so as to control infection rates. University students were able to return to in-person teaching from 17 May. They should now get tested twice a week. Q: What about hotels, can we go on holiday now? A: In England, overnight accommodation such as hotels, hostels and B&Bs were able to reopen from 17 May, with overnight stays within England allowed for groups of up to six people or two households. International travel will now begin to reopen to “green” list countries but strict border control measures will remain in place. Q: How will changes impact those in care homes? A: Care home residents can now have up to five named visitors, with up to two at a time or in a single day. Residents leaving a home for a low-risk visit, such as to a park, or to see their GP or dentist, no longer have to self-isolate for 14 days on their return. Q: Am I allowed to hug? A: Yes. For the first time since 2020, we are allowed to meet people from other households indoors, in groups of six (or two households in total). It’s also the first time we can be in close contact with family and friends who we don’t live with – and we can hug. But we still need to consider the vulnerability of loved ones and act with common sense. How can you help? We can all play our part in keeping each other safe. Take these steps to help minimise transmission rates: Wash or sanitise your hands regularly. Maintain a 2-metre distance and wear a face covering when moving around. Ensure indoor spaces are thoroughly ventilated. Even if you don’t display symptoms, take a rapid test every three to four days. Take the vaccine when offered. This advertiser content was paid for by the UK government. All together (“Let’s take the next steps safely”) is a government-backed initiative tasked with informing the UK about the Covid-19 pandemic. For more information, visit gov.uk/coronavirus