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The government has launched a consultation on plans to reform weddings law in England and Wales, aiming to create a more flexible system that better reflects modern society while strengthening protections against forced and sham marriages.
The proposals, announced by Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Rt Hon David Lammy MP, build on the Law Commission’s 2022 report Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law and represent the most significant proposed changes to weddings law in more than 200 years.
The government said the current legal framework, which is based largely on legislation from the 18th and 19th centuries, creates inconsistencies between different religious groups, civil ceremonies and non-religious belief organisations.
Under the existing system, Anglican, Jewish and Quaker communities have their own legal arrangements for marriage ceremonies, while other religious groups must comply with different rules. Civil weddings are governed separately, and organisations such as Humanists cannot currently conduct legally recognised marriages.
The government’s proposals would create a more consistent framework, allowing couples greater choice over who conducts their ceremony, where they marry and how they celebrate their marriage. They would also enable non-religious belief organisations, including Humanists, to conduct legally binding weddings for the first time.
The reforms would remove some existing restrictions on wedding venues, allowing couples to marry in a wider range of locations, including outdoor settings, while maintaining the dignity and significance of marriage.
The government said the current rules can create unnecessary barriers and additional costs for couples, with some people choosing to hold separate legal and religious or belief ceremonies because their preferred ceremony is not legally recognised.
The consultation follows concerns that the cost of weddings is also preventing some couples from marrying, with the government highlighting research suggesting the average wedding now costs more than £20,000.
Alongside increasing choice and accessibility, the proposals include measures to strengthen safeguards around marriage. The government said reforms would ensure that greater flexibility does not weaken protections against forced, predatory or sham marriages, with marriage continuing to require free and informed consent.
David Lammy said marriage remained an important social institution that supports families and communities, and that reforms would help couples marry in a way that reflects their beliefs, circumstances and personal choices.
The government also said modernising weddings law could provide economic benefits, with the Law Commission estimating that the proposed changes could increase the number of weddings by 3%, generating almost £140 million in additional annual spending across the wedding sector.
The consultation invites views from those with an interest in weddings law, including couples, faith groups, celebrants and organisations involved in marriage ceremonies. The government said responses would help shape legislation to bring weddings law into the 21st century while maintaining protections around the institution of marriage.
To read the consultation documents in full, click here.
