Outdoor civil weddings will become legal in England and Wales for the first time from next month.
Approved venues such as hotels will be allowed to host ceremonies from July 1 through April in a bid to allow more guests to attend events impacted by social distancing rules.
The change will also apply to civil partnerships and the government will launch a consultation to see if it should extend beyond April 2022 and become permanent.
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Currently, legal marriage or civil partnership ceremonies must take place in an approved venue or permanent facility.
The government says the change will benefit nearly 75% of all marriages in England and Wales that are not religious and take place at approved premises.
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said the move would allow couples to celebrate their partnership “however they want” despite the pandemic.
“The reforms I announced today relate to flexibility in the existing approved premises to hold the wedding ceremony outdoors,” he told Sky’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday.
“This creates more flexibility for the locals to have more guests safely.
“Having a wedding outside would be a civil wedding – it cannot be a religious wedding or a Church of England wedding – but a civil wedding or a civil partnership ceremony that can be taking place outside rather than inside the premises allows for this greater flexibility.
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“Obviously, each room will have its own guidelines and rules, but that just allows couples to be more …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-20 12:50:00