’Clunky and challenging’ – views on getting married in England and Wales outlined in new briefing

The law on weddings in England and Wales has been too slow to respond to religious and cultural diversity and the increasing number of people who do not identify with any religion at all, finds a new study led by University of Warwick researcher Dr Rajnaara Akhtar of Warwick Law School. When is a wedding not a marriage - Exploring non-legally binding ceremonies ¹, funded by the Nuffield Foundation ², explores the likely impact of proposals for weddings law reform ³. The raft of reforms proposed include a change to the way weddings are regulated, and where they can occur, and the process of giving notice. Under the current law, in England and Wales a civil wedding can only be conducted in a register office or on -approved premises- such as an hotel or stately home. There are special rules for Anglican, Jewish and Quaker weddings; other religious weddings can only be conducted in a registered place of worship and must include words prescribed by statute. As a result, religious weddings taking place outside of these locations/circumstances in England and Wales do not have legal force. In addition, despite growing demand there is no option for a couple to have a legal wedding led by a Humanist or independent celebrant Dr Akhtar, together with Professor Rebecca Probert and Sharon Blake of the University of Exeter, used focus groups and interviews to engage with 170 participants who had conducted or taken part in a non-legally binding wedding ceremony to understand why people choose to have marriages that are not legally recognised, and what they would like to see change if reforms go ahead.