Planning a wedding may not have having a chippy meal stolen from your hands by a seagull at the top of your wish list.
However, efforts to remove Britain’s “outdated” marriage laws could soon allow couples to exchange vows on the sand.
The Law Commission wants to abolish the current laws, which have been in place since 1836, and for marriages to take place in “any safe and dignified environment,” such as parks, forests, and cruise ships.
According to the commission, the change will assist clear the backlog in Covid and will enable families to host less expensive weddings despite the rising cost of living.
As things are, marriages can only be performed inside a register office, a house of worship, or on the grounds of approved properties. Couples must also decide whether to have a secular or sacred wedding ceremony.
The panel, however, has asked the government to amend the rules to provide couples more options, describing them as “confusing, antiquated, and restricted.”
The governing body has put out new regulations that would apply to the person performing the ceremony rather than the setting.
If the government approves the modifications, families will also be given more control over their vows, ceremonies, and music. Additionally, they would make humanist marriages legally binding.
According to the panel, its recommendations would be the most significant revision of wedding legislation since the 19th century and would put England and Wales into step with other nations including Scotland, Ireland, and New Zealand.
The organization’s family law commissioner, Professor Nick Hopkins, stated: “Many couples find the current law on marriage to be ineffective.
Numerous couples are prevented from having weddings that are important to them each year due to unnecessary restrictions and antiquated laws.
While giving couples additional options for where and how to get married, “Our reforms for Government are aimed to maintain the traditional practices and dignity of weddings.”
He emphasised that the amendments had “widespread precedence” around the world and said, “By providing couples more control over their weddings and assuring greater parity for all beliefs, the law can help those who wish to get married, instead of putting unneeded impediments in the way.”