The Government has launched its consultation on the biggest proposed reform of weddings law in England and Wales for almost 200 years.
If introduced, the changes could reshape how weddings are legally conducted, creating new opportunities for venues, celebrants, planners and suppliers, while introducing a completely new legal framework for officiating weddings.
Read the consultation documents and submit your response before 24 September 2026.
The proposals:
Feedback form:
Industry Briefing Webinar on the Consultation Questionnaire
Following a meeting with the Ministry of Justice policy team, UK Wedding Association Chair, Alison Hargreaves, moderated a panel of experts to discuss some of the implications of the proposed changes and areas still under consultation.
Key takeaways for wedding businesses
- Nothing has changed yet. The reforms apply to England and Wales and remain under consultation. Current marriage law continues to apply.
- The consultation closes on 24 September 2026. Businesses should respond using the online form where they have relevant industry experience.
- Responsibility would move from the venue to the officiant. Legally authorised officiants, rather than approved premises, would become responsible for ensuring the ceremony and location comply with the law.
- Couples would have greater choice. The proposals could allow legal weddings in more locations, including private homes and some boats, and enable ceremonies to reflect religious, cultural and non-religious beliefs more closely.
- Independent celebrants could conduct legal weddings. However, the qualification, training, authorisation and regulation requirements are still being considered.
- Venues will remain commercially relevant. Experience from the US suggests that greater freedom over ceremony locations doesn’t remove demand for professional wedding venues, which offer the infrastructure, safety and support most couples still need.
- Venue pre-authorisation is being considered. This could allow venues to demonstrate in advance that they meet the proposed dignity requirements, avoiding separate checks by every officiant. The duration, cost and detailed criteria haven’t been decided.
- Accessibility could improve, but safeguards are needed. More flexible locations and ways of expressing consent could benefit disabled and neurodivergent couples. Officiants would need suitable training to distinguish communication needs from questions of legal capacity or coercion.
- Professional standards and safeguarding will be central. Proposals include a dignity framework, officiant training and regulation, checks during the notice process, and measures addressing forced, predatory and sham marriages.
Possible timeline
The reform wasn’t included in the parliamentary session beginning in May 2026. The current expectation is that legislation could be considered during the following session, potentially from around May 2027. The parliamentary process could then take approximately 18 months, followed by around 12 months to establish the regulatory and IT systems.
On that basis, 2029 is a reasonable earliest estimate for implementation, but it isn’t a confirmed government date and the process could take longer.
Watch the recording here:
Meet the Expert Panel:
Alison Hargreaves
Chair of the Uk Wedding Association. Hosting and moderating the discussion.
Samantha Gilchrist
Samantha Gilchrist is CEO of The Gilchrist Collection, bringing the perspective of a multi-venue owner on the practical implications of the proposed wedding law reforms for venues and couples.
Elaine Hughes
Elaine Hughes is a CAE-accredited Luxury Accessibility Experience Strategist and founder of The Inclusive Wedding Company, bringing expert insight into accessibility and inclusion within the proposed wedding law reforms.
Zadie Ward
Zadie Ward is an independent wedding celebrant trained by Humanists UK, bringing practical insight into bespoke ceremonies and the role of celebrants within the proposed reforms.
Vim Ziyambe
Vim Ziyambe is an award-winning independent celebrant and former Deputy Superintendent Registrar, bringing expert insight into the current marriage system and the future of wedding law reform.
Key Changes under the Proposals
A move from a venue-based to an officiant-based system: The officiant conducting the wedding would be authorised and regulated, rather than the venue. Rather than restricting legal ceremonies to licensed premises, the proposals would allow couples to marry in a much wider variety of locations, provided they meet new dignity and safety requirements.
A new dignity framework: This would protect the dignity and significance of marriage, covering the suitability of the location and operational considerations such as serving food and drink during the ceremony.
Removal of the open-door requirement: Weddings could take place in a wider range of locations that don’t offer public access, including private homes, gardens and some boats.
A two-stage notice process: Couples would initially give notice online, followed by an in-person interview designed to identify potential forced, sham or predatory marriages.
Industry Voices
Following the launch of the consultation, the UK Wedding Association worked with PressBox PR, to gather views from wedding businesses across the industry. Members shared their experiences and perspectives on the proposed reforms, helping to ensure the industry’s voice is represented as the consultation progresses.
Here are some of the comments received:
Zadie Ward
As a modern wedding celebrant working with couples across the UK, I’d like to speak about why these reforms matter beyond the wedding industry. We’re living in an experience era where people value connection, authenticity and shared moments more than ever before. Couples increasingly want a ceremony that reflects who they are, welcomes modern and blended families, celebrates different cultures and creates an experience that their guests genuinely feel part of. Yet the law still forces many couples to separate the legal act of getting married from the meaningful ceremony they actually want. I’d like to talk about how these reforms are less about changing marriage itself and more about giving couples informed choice, allowing one meaningful ceremony instead of two, and bringing the law into line with how people already choose to celebrate one of the biggest moments of their lives, while maintaining robust standards and accountability.
Jennifer Patrice
As wedding suppliers, we love that every couple is unique, but our current wedding laws don’t always allow them to celebrate their day in a way that truly reflects them. This consultation is a great opportunity for the law to be modernised, giving couples greater choice whilst preserving the significance, dignity and legal protections of marriage.
Vim Ziyambe
It’s a much bigger conversation about creating a modern, officiant-based system that gives couples greater choice while preserving the dignity, legal significance and safeguards that marriage deserves.
I genuinely believe I could offer a balanced and informed perspective because I’ve lived both sides of the profession. I understand the responsibilities and safeguards of the registration service, and I also spend every day working with engaged couples, hearing what they value most and where they find the current system frustrating.
More than anything, I think couples need someone who can explain these proposals in plain English. Many won’t even realise this consultation is happening or that they have the opportunity to influence the future of marriage law in England and Wales.
Sonal Dave
As an Independent Celebrant, who predominantly works with multicultural, interfaith, no religion, spiritual couples, the current marriage law means that they need to do the legal marriage, and then either have two cultural ceremonies or the one multicultural ceremony where I blend their cultures including rituals (both religious and non-religious), readings, their love story, personal vows, live music, and more. This means two ceremonies, extra cost and extra admin.
The consultation proposes changing the current regulation of a building where the wedding takes place to the Officiant conducting the wedding ceremony. The consultation has specifically proposed independent celebrants as one of the groups who could conduct legally binding weddings (that’s me).
If this happens, this means, that the ceremony I conduct for my couples could be the legal wedding
Couples can choose where they want to marry. From castles to boats, the place they had their first date or the proposal took place, as well as hotels, and other venues.
Jonny Bann
It’s a huge step forward for couples, giving them more freedom and flexibility over where they marry. But for venues that rely heavily on weddings as their primary source of income, this could be a wake-up call.
The most successful venues will be those that evolve, diversify and give couples a reason to choose them.
Be part of the conversation, join the UK Wedding Association today.
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