Big weddings could be back by Easter

With a coronavirus vaccine already delivered to some hospitals, Boris Johnson has said he's hopeful that weddings can go back to normal after Easter.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been tough for everyone and one of the things it has really affected is weddings.

With large groups being unable to meet, many couple's dreams of big weddings with lots of friends and family just hasn't been able to happen, but the Prime Minister has just offered a little bit of optimism, so it might be time to get that table plan back out again.

Has Boris Johnson said when normal weddings can go ahead?

Not yet, but he has insisted the rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations is going to make a real difference for those planning their weddings.

At the moment, how many people you can have at your wedding depends on which tier you're in.

In tiers one and two 15 people can attend wedding ceremonies and receptions, in tier three 15 people can attend the wedding ceremony but wedding receptions are not allowed.

Bigger weddings could take place from Easter 2021

Pressed during an online ‘People’s Prime Minister’s Question Time’ organised by Downing Street, Mr Johnson was asked about the impact of coronavirus restrictions on weddings by a woman who worked in the sector.

Mr Johnson said: “If you are thinking about the summer, I think you will be alright.

“It’s my strong hope and belief that by the summer, one way or the other, whether by vaccination – which I hope and believe we will have delivered by Easter as I say – or by lateral flow testing, we’ll be in a different world.

“So my hope is that, by summer, it really will be a different world for the weddings and events industry.”

You can watch his answer here (22 minutes in):

The Prime Minister told Lara from Cornwall:

“I think mass testing will help before Easter – hopefully well before Easter – but I think you should be able to plan for a really much more active summer and lots of happy nuptial events all over the UK.”

When will we know if weddings can go ahead?

Good question - like many things it depends on how quickly the vaccines are available and how it affects the infection rate.

What's clear is that Boris Johnson thinks there is a good chance we will be getting back to normality at some point in early 2021.

Let's not forget the Prime Minister is also one of the couples awaiting a wedding, he proposed to his partner Carrie Symonds in February.

Now what?

Well, who knows?

Let's be optimistic - maybe it's time to dust off that list of invites, start deciding who's going to sit next to your Uncle Kevin and most importantly: choose who you want to take on the Hen and Stag parties!

Celebrities who got engaged this year:

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.

• Wedding Day
• coronavirus
• covid vaccine