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Experts from The University of Law explain what couples need to know about the new wedding law reforms
Proposed changes to 19th Century wedding laws could be about to change everything for couples, but one legal expert has urged wedding planners to hang fire before making any changes to their big day.
Legal experts from The University of Law say: “While there have been various updates to wedding laws in recent years, such as legalising same-sex marriage and changing the legal age requirement for marriage, nothing has changed the laws that govern marriage to this extent since the 1800s.
“The main thing couples need to know now, is that nothing is going to change in the immediate future. The reforms still need public consultation, then the usual Parliamentary processes before implementation, all of which could take many years.
“When reforms like these happen there’s sometimes a knee-jerk reaction. It’s important that couples marrying in the next year or two don’t make any sudden changes to their plans with these new reforms in mind – it’s business as usual for now.
“It’s certainly worth staying up to speed on the proposed changes for the future though, as they could change everything when it comes to planning where and how your wedding takes place.”
According to ULaw, these are the key changes to be aware of with the new wedding law reforms, and what happens next:
- Couples can marry anywhere (within reason)
The new reforms take the focus away from where you marry and instead place importance on who performs the ceremony. Existing laws require your venue to be licensed for weddings to make the marriage legally binding, meaning couples marrying somewhere that isn’t license often need to plan their “official” wedding at the registry office.
Under the new laws, providing the venue is deemed “appropriate and dignified”, then it’s fit for your wedding. This means couples could get married on the beach, in their garden, a family farm – almost anywhere that holds significance to them.
- The officiant is what matters
Should the reforms be made into law, it will mean the officiant becomes the key part of your wedding, as the Government will license them rather than your venue.
Couples will be able to choose a registrar, celebrant or minister who is legally authorised, offering more flexibility. It’s important to note though, critics have said we could see a rise in people pretending to have licenses, or those with licenses increasing their prices.
While couples may have more freedom to choose who marries them, we could see a rise in the need for stricter checks and training for those licensed to carry out weddings.
- Simpler for all faiths and cultures, and non-religious groups now recognised
Under current laws, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist couples must do a separate civil ceremony for their wedding to be legally recognised. The new reforms will give religious groups more freedom over how and where they hold their ceremonies, removing the need for that extra step.
What’s more, non-religious groups such as Humanists could perform legally recognised weddings, if the Government extends that permission to their celebrant.
- More personal, flexible ceremonies with less admin
Weddings often include a lot of “must haves” to make them legally binding. The new laws will seek to reduce that, allowing couples more freedom to make the ceremony their own. This could be in the form of unique vows, readings, music or even cultural rituals.
Notice of marriage could also move online, with greater choice as to where the couple completes the pre-wedding formalities.
Experts continue: “The Government has said these reforms will go to consultation in 2026. This is where the public and other stakeholders can raise questions, concerns and help to shape what the final laws will look like. Following that will be the drafting of the Bill, which will then go through Parliamentary processes – which will be governed by how much time Parliament has to dedicate to this. After this there is the process of practically implementing the law, which can often be long and complex.
“What this means is there is no exact timeline for when these reforms will be made into law, and it could well be several years. If you’re in the middle of planning your wedding, or you’re about to start, the best thing to do would be to push ahead as usual. If you have time to wait, it may be worth keeping an eye on these reforms and seeing how they take shape after the consultation next year.”