COVID Event Restrictions: New England
Photo by Christian Oth Photography
Very slowly, the wedding and events industry is coming back to life. However, these celebrations look a lot different from what we’re used to. There are rules and restrictions, as well as covid-specific guidelines to follow. The information varies from state-to-state and is being released at different times, which makes it all the more confusing and overwhelming. So, how do you decide whether or not you should have your wedding?
As wedding planners, it’s our job to make wedding planning easier. We reviewed all of the data currently available on covid-19 for gatherings, including event specific guidelines, restrictions for food service and venues, and governor emergency orders in order to compile the below list of wedding guidelines by state for New England. All of this information is current as of July 21, 2020, to the best of our knowledge and research. If you are considering holding your wedding in any of the below states in New England, please be sure to check the state’s website for any updates or changes to these guidelines. We’ll also be adding updates to the best of our abilities as they become available.
Indoor Events and weddings: No more than 5 guests per 1,000 square feet and no more than 50 guests total.
Outdoor Events and weddings: No more than 50 guests
Other Event and Wedding restrictions: Must maintain social distancing rules and caterer must follow all food restrictions, which differ by county.
Face Coverings: Required
For out of town guests: There are no restrictions on guests traveling from New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York or New Jersey. Everyone else will either need to complete a 14 day quarantine or fill out a Certificate of Compliance. For this certificate, you will need proof of a negative COVID test.
New Hampshire
Indoor Events and weddings: Up to 50% of normal capacity
Outdoor Events and weddings: No restrictions
Other Event and Wedding restrictions: No more than 6 guests per table, all tables must be 6ft apart, and food service guidance must be followed. Additionally, “small group bands and solo music artists are allowed to perform in outdoor areas as long as they can maintain social distance of 6 feet apart from each other and any table.”Social distancing rules must be enforced.
Face Coverings: Required
For out of town guests: There are no restrictions for guests traveling from surrounding New England states. Everyone else will need to complete a 14 day quarantine.
Vermont
***Vermont is still waiting for specific guidelines regarding weddings and events. We extracted information from other sectors on the VT government site.
Indoor Events and weddings: Up to 50% of normal capacity or one person per 100 square feet (up to 75 people). This number does not include staff.
Outdoor Events and weddings: Up to 50% of normal capacity or one person per 100 square feet (up to 100 people). This number does not include staff.
Other Event and Wedding restrictions: No standing food service (e.g. cocktail hour). Additional restrictions and regulations are still being developed.
Face Coverings: Recommended for guests, required for staff
For out of town guests: Guests traveling from green states, as shown on this map, do not need to quarantine. All other wedding guests will need to complete a 14 day quarantine.
Indoor Events and weddings: According to Mass.gov, “Under the updated gatherings order (July 2), indoor gatherings are limited to eight people per 1,000 square feet, but should not exceed 25 people in a single enclosed, indoor space.”
Outdoor Events and weddings: “Outdoor gatherings in enclosed spaces are limited to 25 percent of the facility’s maximum permitted occupancy, with a maximum of 50 people in a single enclosed outdoor space,” as listed on the mass.gov site. Note: This reflects the 8/7 change in headcount, down from 100.
Other Event and Wedding restrictions: No dance floors, buffets, or bars. Social distancing rules must still be enforced.
Face Coverings: Required
For out of town guests: Guest traveling from lower risk states (currently Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and New Jersey) do not need to quarantine. Travelers from all other states must complete a 14 day quarantine. 8/1 UPDATE: Guests coming from anywhere other than the low-risk states listed above (updated list here) need to fill out this form and produce a negative covid test or quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. ****8/7 UPDATE: Rhode Island is no longer considered to be a lower risk state
Rhode Island
Indoor Events and weddings: Limited to 15 people (down from 25 as of 7/29), unless you have a licensed caterer. In this case, you can have up to 50 guests.
Outdoor Events and weddings: Limited to 50 people, unless you have a licensed caterer. In this case, you can have up to 100 guests. *Note: this is a revision from the 150 cap initially announced.
Other Event and Wedding restrictions: Standing bar/food service is not permitted. Entertainment is allowed if there isn’t a dance floor (“no mingling or congregating is allowed, and customers must remain seated at their tables,” per this document on the reopening RI site). Furthermore, entertainment must be 14 ft away from guests or 6ft if they are behind a physical, non-porous barrier and/or wearing masks. Social distancing rules must still be enforced.
Face Coverings: Required
For out of town guests: If you’re coming to Rhode Island from any of the states listed here, you are required to quarantine for 14 days or show proof of a negative covid test (taken within 72 hours of arrival).
Connecticut
Indoor Events and weddings: No more than 25 people. This number includes staff/vendors. *Note: this number is set to increase to 50 people in Phase 3. However, movement into Phase 3 is currently suspended.
Outdoor Events and weddings: No more than 100 people. This number includes staff/vendors. *Note: this number is set to increase to 250 people in Phase 3. However, movement into Phase 3 is currently suspended.
Other Event and Wedding restrictions: No bars and no dance floors. Social distancing rules must still be enforced.
Face Coverings: Required
For out of town guests: Any guest traveling from a state listed in green on this site, may travel to CT without restrictions. Everyone else (currently 31 states), needs to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival and fill out this form online.
We included information on requirements for guests coming from out of town so that you can make an informed decision about how your guests might be impacted. Keep in mind, if you are asymptomatic, COVID tests are typically not covered by insurance.
Many of these states do also have additional event requirements, such as having hand sanitizer (with an alcohol content of greater than 60%) readily available for guests. We just pulled out the restrictions that we felt would have the greatest impact on your event and might carry the most weight in your decision making process.
Not getting married in New England? We will be posting a similar “cheat sheet” on restrictions for New York and surrounding states soon!