Following the launch of “Religion and Marriage Law: The Need for Reform”, Professor Russell Sandberg has kindly provided this additional note

Would reform of the law on validity help mitigate the problem of unregistered religious marriages?

In my new book, Religion and Marriage Law: The Need for Reform, I argue that the law relating to marriage in England and Wales is outdated and leads to unfairness. There are now forms of relationship that exist outside the legal framework.

The book focuses on (1) ‘non-religious marriages’: wedding ceremonies conducted by belief organisations and independent celebrants that are not legally recognised under the Marriage Act 1949; and (2) ‘unregistered religious marriages’ where the wedding does not comply with the Marriage Act’s requirement that for religious weddings (other than Church of England, Church in Wales, Quaker and Jewish), the wedding must take place in a registered place of public worship. Continue reading →