Planning a wedding can be overwhelming. But getting married amidst the COVID-19 pandemic means following new safety management measures to keep you and your guests safe.
On 14 June, Singapore has entered Phase 3 (Heightened Alert) of COVID-19 pandemic recovery. Wedding solemnizations held at an external wedding venue were permitted to have a maximum of 250 guests. PET is required for all guests. Solemnizations with 50 or lesser guests may proceed without PET.
Additionally, the Ministry of Health (MOH) allows couples to hold ONE wedding reception in venues that are permitted to serve food and drinks. The reception can be held on the same day as the solemnization or on a different day. Want to know more? Read on.
Safe Management Measures
1. Venue
- Solemnization
- At Home
- The Registry of Marriages (ROM)
- At a place of worship
- External venue with permission to open for operation.
Outside of ROM, couples can hold their solemnization at venues that are allowed for use by third parties. The venues are subject to a limit of 100 persons or the capacity limits of the venue – whichever is lower.
- Wedding Reception
Couples are allowed to have one wedding reception at venues that are open for operation, such as:
- Hotel ballrooms
- Restaurants
Prevailing safe management measures must be observed. Lastly, couples are not allowed to hold their wedding reception at the ROM or a place of worship.
See The 22 Cheap Wedding Venues in Singapore.
2. Guests
- Home
For home solemnization, the maximum number of attendees allowed is 10 people or eight visitors – in addition to the residents in the household. This cap excludes the licensed Solemnizer and vendors, such as wedding photographers and videographers.
For example, if four people are living in the household, the four residents and eight visitors – a total of twelve people- can attend the solemnization.
Couples can only hold solemnization at home. They are not allowed to hold wedding receptions that involve food and beverage.
- Safe Distancing Measures
All guests need to maintain a safe distance, especially from those who are from a different household.
- External Venue
Here are the maximum number of guests allowed for solemnization held outside the home or the ROM:
- A maximum of 100 guests without PET or pre-event testing
- or a maximum of 250 guests with PET
- or the safe capacity of the venue, whichever is lower
For solemnization involving 101-250 guests, PET is required for only the wedding couple.
For wedding receptions, PET is required for all attendees, including the wedding couple. If the solemnization and wedding reception are held back-to-back, and there will be 101 to 250 guests, PET is required for everyone, including the wedding couple.
- Safe Distancing Measures
The wedding couple and guests must maintain a safe distance of at least two meters from others. Couples must also note the zoning requirements when planning the seating arrangement. More details of the zoning requirements under the Seating Arrangement section.
- What is PET?
To ensure that activities are conducted safely, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is implementing the use of PET or pre-event testing. This is one of the safety measures to lower the transmission of COVID-19.
Attendees who wish to enter a venue where the events are being held must undergo a PET. A valid negative COVID-19 test result must be taken within the specified period before they are allowed to enter the venue.
For wedding events, please refer to the table below taken from the Ministry of Health’s website:
| Timeline | Phase 3 HA (14 Jun 21 to 12 Jul 21) |
Phase 3 HA (12 Jul 21 Onwards) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Activity | Max No. of Attendees (PET not required) |
Max No. of Attendees (PET required for all attendees) |
Max No. of Attendees (PET not required) |
Max No. of Attendees (PET required for all attendees) |
| Solemnization only* | 50 | 250 | 50 | 250 |
| Wedding Receptions | N.A. | N.A. |
Up to 250 persons: PET required for all attendees Up to 50 persons: PET required for the wedding party (wedding couple and up to 18 other attendees) |
|
3. Sitting Arrangement
- Home
You are allowed to designate a “wedding party” of up to 20 people. This includes the bride, groom, and two witnesses. The remaining guests need to keep to groups of 8 persons. Additionally, the groups must be at least 1m apart at all times, including the photo-taking sessions.
- External Venues
As previously mentioned, there is an assigned core “wedding group” of up to 20 people. These people are allowed to interact with one another and sit at the same table. However, they are not allowed to mingle with guests outside of their group.
The remaining guests need to be split into fixed groups of 8 persons each. There will be no intermingling or mixing between groups.
- What if you have 50 to 250 guests?
There are two ways to split up guests:
- Split into zones of up to 50 guests with a 3-meter gap and partition between zones.
- Staggered timings of up to 50 guests per time slot with a 30-minute cleaning time slot in-between sessions.
These guests must still be split into groups of eight. This cap includes the couple and wedding party, but excluding the licensed Solemnizer, vendors, and venue staff.
Here are other things to note:
- Zones must be marked with a physical solid partition – at least 1.8m high.
- Or you can use a continuous physical barrier that is at least 3m apart, like plexiglass screens.
- Each zone must have separate entrances and exits. If possible, there should also be separate facilities, like washrooms, for each group.
- Fixed seating is a must. Guests are not allowed to change or move from their assigned seats.
Since all attendees are assigned to only one zone or staggered timing, they are not allowed to cross into the unassigned zone or time slot. Guests must also refrain from intermingling or mixing with other groups of guests within their own zones.
Only the couple and wedding party group are permitted to stay for different staggered timings. Additionally, only the bride and groom can cross briefly into unassigned zones for photo-taking.
Lastly, wedding venue operators must ensure that the physical set-up and seating arrangements are following the zoning guidelines. It is also crucial to make sure that attendees from different zones do not meet at entrances or exits.
4. Face Masks
For home solemnization, all guests must wear masks throughout the solemnization. The wedding couple may choose to wear face shields instead of a mask during the ceremony. The bride and groom may remove their face shield/masks for key moments, such as exchanging of vows, rings, to kiss, and during the march.
The wedding couple and their guests may briefly take off their masks for photo-taking. It must be placed back on immediately after.
- External Venues
Solemnization at the ROM, places of worship, and other external venues are subject to the same safety management measures.
- Guests must wear masks during the solemnization
- The wedding couple may remove their face shield/masks during key moments. Guests must maintain a safe distance of 2 meters from others.
- The bride and groom and their guests can temporarily take off their masks for photo-taking.
Guests can only remove their face masks if they are eating or drinking during the reception.
If there is an emcee, they may wear a face shield instead of a face mask when speaking on stage. If they are standing in a fixed position, they must maintain at least 1m distance away from others. This applies to the bride and groom when making speeches on stage.
5. Food and Beverage
- Home
If the event is being held in a home, couples can only hold solemnization and not a wedding reception – with food and beverage. The bride and groom can hold a separate reception at a different venue where proper safe management measures can be observed.
- External Venues
Guests are not allowed to be served food and beverages as part of the solemnization event. The wedding couple must hold one reception either on the same day as the solemnization or on a separate day.
For receptions held at external venues, such as hotel ballrooms and restaurants, food lines are not permitted.
Guests must be served seated at their tables. This is to lower the risk of mingling/crowding and to reduce the interaction among different groups of guests. Lastly, sharing of dishes or platters is strongly discouraged. That said, organizers can offer individually plated or packaged foods.
Are religious rites, such as the Chinese Tea Ceremony permitted?
Religious rites that involve food and beverage are not allowed to be conducted as part of the solemnization ceremony.
However, couples can hold such rites as part of their wedding reception at home or at an external venue. It must be subject to the safety management measures for receptions.
Here are the guidelines for the Chinese Tea Ceremony:
- Tea ceremony at home: No more than eight visitors are allowed to attend the ceremony.
- Tea ceremony at an external venue: Must be held amongst the “wedding party group” of 20 guests, including the bride and groom, two witnesses, bridesmaids and groomsmen, family members, and friends.
6. Contact Tracing
- Home
- The wedding couple must declare the guest and vendor list to their licensed Solemnizer at least one day before the solemnization.
- The list must be available at the venue for verification and checking. It must be kept for 14 days after the event.
- Ensure that all guests observe all the other safe management measures, such as checking their temperature. The guests must be feeling well before they attend the event.
- Encourage guests, especially those who are vulnerable, to refrain from attending the solemnization in person. They can join the ceremony through a video link.
- External Event
- All guests must take their temperature
- Check-in and check out using SafeEntry before entering the venue.
- All guests must download and activate the TraceTogether app before attending the event.
- Declare the guest and vendor list to your licensed Solemnizer at least 1 day before the solemnization. This list must be available in the venue for verification or checking.
Note that the TraceTogether app, together with SafeEntry, will enable the contact tracing team to lower the time it takes to identify and quarantine a close contact.
7. Activities
- Home
For at-home solemnizations, live instrumental music – except for playing of wind instruments, is allowed for indoor venues. Performers must maintain a minimum of 1m safe distancing from each other and from the other guests. Live singing and dancing are not allowed.
Additionally, musicians must wear a face mask at all times and adhere to other safety management measures.
- External Venues
For outdoor venues, live instrumental music is not allowed to prevent crowds from gathering. Solemnizations held in a place of worship and at the ROM are also not permitted to have live music.
At the reception, live singing and performances, cheering, load toasting, and shouting are not allowed. This is because the guests are un-masked when food and drinks are served.
- Other Activities
- Table-to-table photos must be avoided. Couples can hire a photographer for their wedding reception but they must maintain a 1m safe distance from their photo subjects.
- Photo booths, pre-wedding drinks, and other freestanding activities are not allowed.
Conclusion
Planning a wedding during Phase 3 can be a bit tricky. However, it is necessary to follow the prevailing safe management measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These measures will help keep you and your family safe during solemnization and reception.
Now that you know the basic Phase 3 Singapore wedding guideline, it’s time to plan your wedding and your budget. If you need additional cash assistance or a wedding loan, you can turn to licensed moneylenders.
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