A proposal of marriage: The Law Commission’s Weddings Report

This article discusses the recommendations in Law Com No 408 Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law (2022) which are intended to broaden the options available for ‘tying the knot’ whilst protecting the public interest.

The proposals would represent a switch of emphasis from location to officiant who would have to ensure for example that a civil ceremony was ‘identifiable as such’. While the ceremony may be held outdoors the officiant would have to ensure that both ceremony and location reflected ‘the dignity and significance of marriage’. A marriage would be ‘non-qualifying’ if e.g. one or both had not consented – and it would be a criminal offence for an officiant to fail to disclose that the ceremony will not give rise...