Marrying couples will have greater choice in how they celebrate their big day under government plans to legalise outdoor weddings in England and Wales
It follows temporary legislation introduced in July, which allowed outdoor civil wedding and partnership ceremonies for the first time.
A consultation launched today seeks views on making this change permanent. It will also examine extending it to religious weddings so that these can take place outdoors at places of worship for the first time for most faiths, such as in the grounds of a church or chapel. Around 55,000 weddings a year would be affected by this change – in 2017, 96% of these were Christian ceremonies. No religious group would be obliged to provide outdoor ceremonies, and existing protections to safeguard religious freedoms would remain in place.
Prior to last summer’s legislation, civil ceremonies at an approved premise such as a hotel had to take place indoors or otherwise within a permanent structure, such as a bandstand.
Couples can now have the whole ceremony outside in the grounds of such a venue – providing greater flexibility especially during the pandemic when there are important public health considerations to take into account.
Justice Minister Tom Pursglove said:
George Buchanan, of Hodsock Priory in Nottinghamshire, said:
The proposed changes in fact reflect medieval weddings, when it was common for ceremonies to take place outside the front of the church. This is why many churches from that period have a projecting porch.
Ministers would like to hear from professionals, religious bodies and couples who have used the current provisions or who would consider using the provisions in the future, in order to understand how they have worked or might work in practice and whether they should remain in force beyond April 2022.
A Law Commission review will separately present options for further marriage reforms to the Government. Things under consideration include:
The Law Commission is due to report back by summer 2022.
Notes to Editors: