Pembrokeshire Council inundated with enquiries over commencement of wedding and civil partnership ceremonies

WEDDING and civil partnership ceremonies can restart this week with around 150 Pembrokeshire couples missing out due to lockdown.

Welsh Government announced on Friday (June 19) that weddings and civil partnerships in places of worship could be restarted but the status for registry office ceremonies is still unknown.

The update regulations included “removing limitations on marriage and civil partnership ceremonies taking place, subject to physical distancing requirements.”

Large gatherings are still not permitted and social distancing requirements must be met.

Following the announcement Pembrokeshire County Council’s registrations department has been inundated with contacts with a standard holding email response being sent out while plans are finalised.

It states: “If you are emailing as a result of the announcement last Friday in relation to the resumption of marriages and civil partnerships in Wales from today, please be aware that we have been advised that this currently only applies to marriages and civil partnerships in places of worship.

“We are awaiting further confirmation from the General Register Office in relation to ceremonies elsewhere, so we are currently not able to comment any further. We understand that the Welsh Government and General Register Office are currently working to resolve this.

“We will hold your details and respond further when we have more information.”

A council spokesman said the exact number of weddings postponed or cancelled over the last three months of lockdown was difficult to quantify but around 150 couples had been affected.

No services or ceremonies can take place except for funerals and potentially marriages and civil partnership ceremonies, the Welsh Government guidance states, with the decision to open or not, including for individual prayer, down to the place of worship itself.

Travelling outside the current five-mile ‘stay local’ provision is also permitted for a wedding, as it is for funerals.