Traditionally, couples in England and Wales have been relatively restricted in their choice of wedding venues, largely being limited to getting married in a church or perhaps a town hall. Like many things, the cost of weddings has sky-rocketed, with the average wedding totalling over £20,000, and therefore becoming prohibitive for many couples. Current wedding law dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries, highlighting their lack of suitability for the 21st century.
However, this could soon be about to change. In July 2026, the government launched a public consultation on the biggest overhaul of weddings law in almost 200 years. The proposals included in this consultation would make it easier for couples to get married by expanding the array of venues where wedding ceremonies can take place. If implemented, this would allow couples to marry in a forest, a beach, a castle, or even a family garden, moving away from a buildings-based approach to weddings.
What is the current law?
Under the current law, weddings in England and Wales can only take place, with very few exceptions, in a register office, a registered place of worship, or a venue specifically approved for civil ceremonies. This is a buildings-based system: it is the venue that is licensed, not the person conducting the ceremony, which is why outdoor or unconventional locations have largely been off the table.
The rules also draw a firm line between religious and civil ceremonies. Only religious ministers conducting weddings in registered places of worship and civil registrars can conduct a legally binding marriage. Couples who want an independent or humanist celebrant to lead their ceremony must still book a separate legal ceremony with a registrar alongside it, in effect paying for two ceremonies to have their choice of officiant legally recognised.
The Law Commission’s 2022 review was blunt about the result, describing the law as “inconsistent and complicated, inefficient, unfair and needlessly restrictive,” creating unnecessary barriers to marriage and limiting choice.
What is being proposed as part of the government’s wedding law consultation?
Building on the Law Commission’s 2022 report, the Ministry of Justice launched its formal consultation, Tying the Knot: Reforming Weddings Law in England and Wales, on 16 July 2026, running until 24 September 2026.
The central shift is structural: rather than regulating the venue, the proposed model would authorise the officiant conducting the ceremony, opening up far greater choice over where a wedding can legally take place.
Key proposals include:
- More venue choice: Couples could legally marry in a far wider range of locations, from forests, beaches and private gardens to castles, canal boats and cruise ships at sea. I
- Weddings at home: The consultation asks for views on permitting weddings in private homes, and what safeguards this would need.
- Weddings on water: Views are also sought on allowing ceremonies on inland and territorial waters, and on UK-registered cruise ships in international waters.
- Venue pre-authorisation: A voluntary pre-authorisation system is proposed for wedding venues.
- A wider range of officiants: The government is exploring recognition of officiants from non-religious belief organisations, such as humanist celebrants, potentially removing the need for a separate civil ceremony to make a marriage legally binding.
- A new “dignity framework”: To balance this added flexibility, ministers propose placing a legal duty on officiants to uphold the significance of marriage, supported by standards for locations, ceremonies and a set of decision-making factors.
- Notice period unchanged: The existing 28-day notice period is expected to remain in place for safeguarding reasons, though supporting processes such as giving notice could be modernised, possibly through digital systems.
What could happen as a result of the reform?
The stakes are significant. If implemented, this would be one of the most significant overhauls of marriage law in England and Wales for generations – though it still needs parliamentary approval – and the government estimates the reform could add £535 million to the economy over the next ten years and create around 12,000 new jobs.
Our thoughts
These proposals feel like a sensible step towards wedding laws that better reflect how couples live and celebrate today. At a time when many younger couples are choosing to live together rather than marry, making marriage more flexible, personal and accessible may help it feel like a more realistic option. Giving couples more choice over where and how they marry could also remove the need for some couples to pay for both a meaningful ceremony and a separate legal one.
Of course, the way a couple chooses to celebrate their wedding does not change the legal commitment they are making. For some couples, especially where there are assets, businesses, inheritance, children from previous relationships or international finances involved, it can be helpful to have open conversations early on. Taking advice about a pre-nuptial agreement is not about expecting the marriage to fail, but about giving both people clarity, reassurance and a shared understanding from the start.
If you would like to understand how these issues may affect you, or if you need advice on a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement, please contact us and we would be happy to help.
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