In a guest post, Russell Sandberg and Kathy Griffiths look at the recent announcement from the Ministry of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice has announced that the COVID-prompted temporary allowance of outdoor weddings and civil partnerships is now to be made permanent following a public consultation. While Justice Minister Tom Pursglove claimed that ‘these reforms will allow couples to hold more personalised ceremonies’, our research suggests that this reform is, at best, a first step towards wider reform.

The Marriage Act 1949 distinguishes between marriages according to the rites of the Church of England / Church in Wales and marriages otherwise solemnised. Marriages can be otherwise solemnised in two main ways. They can either be civil marriages solemnised either in a register office or approved premises or religious marriages conducted in one of three ways: according to the usages of the Society of Friends; according to the usages of the Jews; or in any place of religious worship registered as such.

The Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) (Amendment) Regulations 2022 will now amend the Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005 to allow outdoor civil weddings and civil partnership registrations to take place within the grounds of approved premises. Continue reading →