Soon-to-be-married couples popping the question: 'Are you vaccinated?'

UPDATED: Since this story was published, the province has introduced what it calls a grace period for wedding receptions being held before Nov. 1, meaning they can follow the existing public health rules with regard to admitting people based on vaccination status "because these weddings have been planned so far in advance." 

As of Oct. 5, soon-to-be-married P.E.I. couples looking to finalize the guest list will have to ask whether friends and relatives are vaccinated against COVID-19, with the answer determining who gets to attend the reception.

Professional wedding planners say the province's new vaccination passport leaves a lot of questions unanswered, though.

"What does that system look like?" asked Kristina Allen, owner of Elysian Weddings and Events.

"Is it initially going to be on paper before we get to a kind of digital system? How smooth is that going to run?"

Premier Dennis King announced last week that the province will adopt a "P.E.I. Vax Pass" system starting a week from today, similar to systems in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Proof of vaccination will be needed for admittance to places such as restaurants and health-care facilities as well as to private events, including wedding and funeral receptions.

But wedding ceremonies — as opposed to receptions — are exempt.

"If we have a ceremony and reception in the same place, the [unvaccinated] guests are allowed to attend the ceremony but they're not allowed to attend the reception. Do we kick them out afterwards, or how does that work?" Allen wondered.

Allen says some of her clients are now taking a second look at their guest lists.

"Now it's something that they're going to have to delve into a little bit more deeply because if their guests aren't vaccinated, obviously they're not going to be able to attend their receptions."

The vaccine passport also raises questions of liability for businesses and venues that host wedding receptions.

"What sort of consequences are there if there is a breakdown in the system ... what are we looking at in terms of liability?" said Allen.

What sort of consequences are there if there's a breakdown in the system?- Kristina Allen, Elysian Weddings and Events

The nuts and bolts of policing the vaccine-status checking system will create challenges for venue hosts, according to Allen. Will 'in-out' privileges be allowed? Who will do the checking? Will paper copies of vaccination records be good enough?

Allen says 2021 was her busiest year so far in the wedding business. Many couples held off in 2020 in the hope of being able to ask more friends and relatives join them this year.

The wedding season is now winding down, but Allen says the vax-pass announcement has caused some couples to "consider other options," including wedding receptions in private homes.

"It's definitely been a polarizing topic," said Allen. "People are glad to hear there is something coming into effect that's going to allow them to celebrate in a more safe way.

"There's also just a lot of unanswered questions."