Secretary of State for Justice (): Marriage is one of our most
enduring and important institutions. For many couples, their
wedding day is one of the most significant moments of their
lives: a public expression of enduring love and commitment,
through which two people enter into a legal relationship with the
expectation that it will last a lifetime. The Government is
committed to supporting and protecting marriage.
The current law governing weddings in England and Wales is rooted
in legislation from the 18th and 19th centuries. It has not kept
pace with the social and cultural changes that have shaped modern
Britain. The result is a framework that is complex, inconsistent
and restrictive, limiting where and how some couples can marry.
As a result, many couples are unable to marry in a way which
reflects their beliefs or are unable to afford the ceremony they
want.
In response to the Law Commission's report on marriage reform,
the Government announced its intention to modernise weddings law
in England and Wales. I am today publishing the consultation,
Tying the Knot: Reforming weddings law in England and
Wales, which seeks views on how these reforms should operate
in practice.
The Government's proposals are guided by four principles.
First, reforms will introduce a simple, fair and inclusive
framework for all weddings. The consultation seeks views on a
clearer and more consistent legal structure, with common rules
applying to different types of ceremony. The proposals would also
enable non-religious belief organisations, including Humanists,
to conduct legally binding weddings.
Second, the reforms will expand choice about how and where
couples may marry. The consultation proposes moving away from a
system based primarily on the building in which a wedding takes
place, towards one focused on the officiant responsible for the
ceremony. This would allow greater flexibility both over the
location and the form of weddings, so that ceremonies can better
reflect the couple's beliefs and backgrounds, allowing them to
marry in settings that are more meaningful to them. For instance,
couples will be able to marry in areas of natural beauty such as
forests or beaches.
The third principle is the importance of upholding the dignity
and significance of marriage. As greater freedoms are introduced,
the Government is clear that a wedding day must always reflect
the serious and life-long commitment that is marriage. The
consultation therefore proposes a dignity framework which would
set clear and consistent standards both for wedding ceremonies
and locations and place a legal duty on officiants to ensure that
weddings meet these standards.
The fourth and final principle is that reforms will strengthen
the protections against forced, predatory and sham marriages. The
consultation proposes modernising the preliminaries process that
takes place before the wedding day, by introducing a digital
system with more effective checks and greater visibility and
transparency. These proposals seek to ensure that marriages are
always entered into freely, with informed consent, and are not
used to exploit vulnerable people or gain unfair advantage.
The consultation also seeks views on the role and regulation of
officiants, including nominated officiants from religious and
non-religious belief organisations, independent officiants and
maritime officiants. It asks how officiants should be authorised,
trained, monitored and held accountable and what role should be
played by a central regulator.
Together, these proposals will make weddings cheaper, more
inclusive and more accessible. This will allow more people who
want to get married to do so in a way that is meaningful to them.
Next Steps
The consultation will be open for 10 weeks and will close on 24
September. We welcome views from parliamentarians, religious and
non-religious belief organisations, academics, charities,
interest groups, independent celebrants, support organisations,
local registration services and members of the public with an
interest in the weddings law of England and Wales.
The Government will consider the findings of the consultation
carefully before finalising our policy positions. Any finalised
reforms would then be brought forward when parliamentary time
allows.
Copies of the consultation will be available here https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tying-the-knot-reforming-weddings-law-in-england-and-wales(opens
in a new tab). A Welsh language version and accessible
versions will also be made available.
