The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department (): On 20 December 2021, the Government launched
a public consultation on outdoor weddings and civil partnerships.
The consultation sought views on the Government’s proposals to
continue to permit outdoor civil marriages and civil partnerships
on Approved
Premises and to permit outdoor religious marriages
in the grounds of places of worship. I am writing to inform
Members of the publication of the consultation response on
outdoor weddings and civil partnerships and laying of the
resulting statutory instrument (SI). The consultation sought
views on the Government’s proposals to continue to permit outdoor
civil marriages and civil partnerships on Approved
Premises and to permit outdoor religious marriages
in the grounds of places of worship.
Since 1 July 2021, couples have been able to have their civil
marriage and civil partnership proceedings in the open air, in
the grounds of buildings such as stately homes and hotels which
are approved or become approved for these civil ceremonies.
Previously, these proceedings could only take place indoors or
otherwise within permanently immovable structures. These outdoor
ceremonies were made possible because the Government laid a
temporary SI putting in place these flexibilities, in order to
give couples more choice and flexibility in the setting, and to
support the wedding and civil partnership sector. However, that
SI has effect only until the end of 5 April 2022. The Government
are now laying this further SI so that these outdoor civil
marriage and civil partnership proceedings can continue
indefinitely, thus continuing to offer increased choice and
flexibility.
The Government also proposed to extend the policy of permitting
outdoor ceremonies to religious marriages in the grounds of
places of worship using a separate legislative reform order. This
would provide similar choice and flexibility to couples seeking
religious weddings and to the religious bodies that solemnise
them. The proposals would enable couples to have a greater choice
in relation to the location of their ceremonies, and
for Approved
Premises and religious bodies to have more
flexibility in the locations for ceremonies, should they choose
to offer it. No religious group would be obliged to provide
outdoor ceremonies, and existing protections to safeguard
religious freedoms would remain in place.
The Government have carefully considered all the responses to the
consultation. Respondents were overwhelmingly in favour of
continuing the provision of outdoor civil marriages and civil
partnerships: therefore, the Government are now laying this SI so
that these proceedings can continue beyond 5 April 2022
indefinitely.
Respondents were also in favour of the proposal to extend the
provision of outdoor ceremonies to religious marriages, on a
permissive basis. The Government will therefore take these
proposals forward via a separate legislative reform order to be
brought before Parliament in due course, as this will require a
change to primary legislation to implement.
This reform for continued outdoor ceremonies will act as a
stepping stone towards later and more comprehensive and durable
reform following the Law Commission’s recommendations, should the
Government decide to undertake such reform. The full consultation
report, including detailed analysis of responses to individual
questions and a list of respondents, is available at:
[https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/outdoor-marriages-civil-partnerships/.](https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/outdoor-marriages-civil-partnerships/)
The SI has been laid in Parliament today, to come into effect on
6 April therefore ensuring the smooth continued provision of
outdoor marriages and civil partnerships beyond the expiry of the
previous SI.
