This story was originally published on May 21, 2020, and last updated on March 11, 2022.
Author’s note (3/16/23): It’s been a year since the rules last changed for weddings in Oregon. That said, I do still continue to monitor this topic. If the rules ever change for whatever reason (doesn’t have to be COVID), I will send around a newsletter announcing that change. Here is how to subscribe to that newsletter.
.
If you have previously visited this page, you will have seen every update I had made about health and safety regulations for weddings in Oregon during the COVID-19 pandemic. That has been roughly four dozen updates since this story was first published on May 21, 2020.
What you will find below is the most recent information as of the publish date at the top of this article. Any time the guidance for Oregon weddings changes, I will update this article. Then I will send out a newsletter explaining what changed. If you want to get that newsletter, here’s the link to subscribe.
The goal is to help keep you up-to-date so you can do your best to host or work a wedding that is legal and that is safe. If you have any questions or concerns, please email me (elisabeth@elisabethkramer.com).
Can I legally have a wedding in Oregon right now?
Yes, you can legally have a wedding in Oregon, but you will need to ask yourself certain questions to make sure that 1) your wedding is legal and 2) your wedding is safe.
Question #1: Where are you hosting your wedding?
Below is how the statewide guidance for Oregon breaks down as of the publish date at the top of this article.
As you read this, please note that individual venues can set their own rules that exceed this guidance. For example, a venue might require that you be vaccinated and/or show proof of vaccination. I share advice on how to ask your venue(s) what their rules later in this article.
Indoors at a PUBLIC space (e.g. a business including most wedding venues)
Vaccines (including boosters): Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Proof of vaccination: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Masks: Not currently required by the state of Oregon as of 11:59 p.m. PST Friday, March 11, 2022. There are some exceptions (such as public transit and healthcare settings) but none that apply to wedding venues.
Headcount: No current changes by the state of Oregon. Default to what the venue allows per the fire marshal.
Social distancing: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Outdoors at a PUBLIC space (e.g. a business including most wedding venues)
Vaccines (including boosters): Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Proof of vaccination: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Masks: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Headcount: No current changes by the state of Oregon. Default to what the venue allows per the fire marshal.
Social distancing: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Indoors at a PRIVATE space (e.g. the place where you live)
Vaccines (including boosters): Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Proof of vaccination: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Masks: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Headcount: No current changes by the state of Oregon. Default to what the venue allows per the fire marshal.
Social distancing: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Outdoors at a PRIVATE space (e.g. the place where you live)
Vaccines (including boosters): Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Proof of vaccination: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Masks: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Headcount: No current changes by the state of Oregon. Default to what the venue allows per the fire marshal.
Social distancing: Not currently required by the state of Oregon.
Can I hire someone to check vaccine cards and/or proof of a negative COVID test at the entrance of my wedding?
Yes, you can. Here are a list of places that do this in Oregon.
Is there a statewide travel advisory in place like there was for part of 2020 and most of 2021?
No, there is not currently a statewide travel advisory in place in Oregon. People can travel into and out of Oregon without testing or quarantining, regardless of vaccination status.
What if I just want to get married? What are the minimum requirements?
Please read my article “Can I Legally Get Married in Oregon Right Now?” for what you need to get legally married in Oregon.
Question #2: Are any of your wedding venues setting their own rules?
Individual businesses can set their own rules that exceed statewide guidance.
To avoid any nasty surprises for your wedding, I recommend you talk to your venue(s) about their rules. I recommend this because, in my experience, wedding venues are not proactively sharing their own policies. That’s not because the people who run venues are bad or stupid. It’s because they’re overwhelmed, understaffed, and, after the past two years, emotionally exhausted.
Here’s how you can ask your venue.
Please approach the question above from a place of warmth and empathy. Be nice. If you’re not getting the answers you need, consider a phone or video call. I’ve found that questions that take 30 emails to answer can usually be solved in five minutes of IRL conversation.
Question #3: Are you and your partner setting your own rules?
In nearly all cases, a professional venue space is not going to tell you and your partner “no” when you ask them Question #2 because honestly, it’s bad for business and they don’t want to risk pissing you — the client — off.
This means that the real heavy lifting is going to fall squarely on the shoulders of you and your partner. As if you didn’t already have a lot going on!
For the foreseeable future, here’s what I recommend you and your partner do if you are planning a wedding:
Develop a COVID safety policy for your wedding. This is useful for lots of reasons but the biggest one is that you are giving your guests and your vendors the huge gift of telling them what to expect if they go to your wedding in-person.
Once you two have finalized your COVID safety policy, share it with your guests AND your vendors. Here are free templates to help talk to your guests and free templates to help talk to your vendors.
The trick of the above is to keep checking in with yourself and your partner. You are the hosts of this wedding. What’s your why? How do we move you two closer toward that goal so that you can start your marriage in a place of joy knowing that it is much easier to feel joy when we also feel safe?
I’ve done what I can to address the most common concerns that come up when answering these questions; please refer to my gallery of free pandemic wedding planning resources. You can also rent my wedding planner brain for an hour if you are looking for someone to talk to you about your wedding.
Regardless of the previous paragraph, thank you for reading this article. I hope I helped you in some small way and I appreciate you (still) prioritizing health, safety, and joy as you plan or work a wedding.