For the first time in 250 years Church weddings will now be able to he held outdoors under a major new relaxing of marriage law planned by the Government.
Victoria Jones
Ministers are to let churches hold weddings outside on their grounds officiated by a priest under new proposals.
Currently civil ceremonies have temporarily allowed to take place outside in parks, gardens, forests and on beaches, due to the pandemic.
The Ministry of Justice will also relax the rules on civil ceremonies allowing them to take place outside permanently now.
This proposed law change will apply to all religions, with around 55,000 church weddings a year eligible to take advantage of the expansion to outdoor ceremonies - 96 per cent of which are Christian.
Ministers have also asked the Law Commission to consider further marriage reforms, including whether ceremonies could take place in a broader range of locations - even outside the grounds of a church.
Tom Pursglove, a justice minister said “A wedding is one of the absolute highlights of a person’s life and it is right that couples should have greater choice in how they celebrate their special day.”
“Our proposals would afford them that choice whether they choose a civil or religious ceremony, and would mark a huge boost for those planning a wedding over the coming years.
“A wedding is one of the absolute highlights of a person’s life and it is right that couples should have greater choice in how they celebrate their special day,” said Tom Pursglove, a justice minister.
“Our proposals would afford them that choice whether they choose a civil or religious ceremony, and would mark a huge boost for those planning a wedding over the coming years.
“Crucially, this will also support the wedding sector by ensuring venues can continue to safely meet the demand for larger ceremonies.”
