Weddings, funerals and other events to be permitted at full capacity as B.C. lifts some COVID-19 restrictions

Weddings and other indoor and outdoor organized gatherings will be permitted to resume in B.C. this week, health officials announced Tuesday.

Changes to many restrictions come into effect at 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 16, though some limits will remain. For example, guests at organized events will need to show proof of vaccination through the B.C. Vaccine Card.

Masks will also be required, but there won't be capacity limits and dancing will be allowed at the events.

"I'm just so excited. This is the right thing to do and this is the perfect timing," Liting Chan, owner of Paradise Events, told CTV News Vancouver as the changes were announced. "This gives us a great hope and we can start to plan weddings."

Organized events like wedding and funeral receptions were prohibited in December, when B.C. was dealing with a surge in cases due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Even small organized events weren't permitted.

Chan said the frequent changes in restrictions impacted some couples for years.

"I have a couple with me since 2019, so this will be their third year and finally they can have their dream wedding," she said.

While masks and proof of vaccination will still be required, Chan said she doesn't think that'll be a big issue.

"I don't think that's a big deal. Look, we're here to follow whatever the health authority thinks is safe," she said. "Personally I don't have any issue, my clients don't have issues."

Chan expects the news means there will be a lot of weddings this summer.

"I think it's probably going to be the busiest year for many, many years," she said.