No Dancing at Weddings, Says D.C.’s Mayor

It looks like Washingtonians won’t be kicking their Sunday shoes off anytime soon. Despite it being peak wedding season, a new coronavirus-related order released by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser specifies that, effective May 1, dancing is not allowed at weddings in the District.

Under the order, released last week, D.C. is allowing venues to host events at 25-percent capacity (or up to a maximum of 250 people). Attendees must be seated and socially distanced from one another and from other household groups; standing and dancing are not allowed.

Local wedding planner Stephanie Sadowski said couples are rescheduling or moving their weddings outside the District. It’s been a “crazy time,” she told WTOP, with her having to shift weddings to Maryland and Virginia.

At a news conference last week, Bowser explained that she is just following the guidance of District public health officials.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told WTOP that there are lots of indoor activities open to fully vaccinated people — such as getting a haircut or riding public transit — as long as they mask up.

The mayor urged the media to stay positive, offering the alternative headline: “Now you can host a wedding in Washington, D.C.”

That doesn’t stop locals from being frustrated, though. Kelley Cannon of Kelley Cannon Events told Washingtonian magazine that she doesn’t understand how one can stand and have a drink at a D.C. restaurant but can’t do so at a wedding. Clearly, D.C. will lose a lot of local wedding business due to the restriction. However, no wedding planner is about to be the cause of a COVID superspreader event.

More information on COVID restrictions in D.C. can be found HERE.

tagsDC HealthDr. Anthony FauciKelley CannonMayor Muriel BowserStephanie Sadowski