The summer months are a popular time for brides to tie the knot. As Texas loosens its restrictions and begins to reopen, wedding ceremonies and receptions are now possible again — with certain guidelines in place.
On Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott announced an amendment to his executive order that will allow these types of special events to resume immediately.
Below a breakdown of what those guidelines are:
- Wedding ceremonies held at an indoor venue, other than a church or house of worship is only allowed 25% occupancy.
- Facilities hosting wedding receptions must limit their occupancy to 25% of the total listed occupancy. These occupancy limits do not apply to the outdoor areas of a wedding reception or to outdoor wedding receptions.
- Ceremonies must follow the same rules as church services. This means every other row must be blocked off and only members of the same household should six together at tables.
- Tables should be spaced six feet apart from one another and guests should practice social distancing.
During the news conference Tuesday, the governor reminded Texas that this is permission for venues to open and not a requirement.
Abbott also urged residents 65 and older or those considered high-risk to stay home.
"We strongly encourage at-risk populations to watch or participate remotely," Abbott said.
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Some local venues in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including two in Bishop Arts, say they plan on resuming wedding festivities this month.
Bree Clarke, the founder of The Iman Project, hosts workshops and events at two of her venues says they will be offering intimate weddings beginning mid-May.
Clarke and her husband have also started to build backdrops for outdoor backyard weddings.
The Little House of Bishops Arts is located at 406 W 9th Street and the Little House on Routh is located at 2310 Routh Street.
The House of DIRT, which is located at 408 W 7th Street also says it will be reopening its doors for events.
"We will be closely following all CDC guidelines and hope to assist more families in celebrating their important life events during this time."
Prior to Abbott's announcement, one couple got creative and said their "I do's" in a garden area outside the restaurant Paradiso.
"We couldn’t be more touched to be even the tiniest part of this sweet ceremony—the world around us has changed, and none of us is sure what the new normal will be, but love is forever and it warms our hearts to see that it holds strong," Paradiso posted on its Instagram page.
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