Proposed changes to outdated wedding laws will mean that couples could soon be free to get married on the beach, in a private garden or at sea.
Furthermore, the Law Commission has suggested marriages could even be celebrated remotely over a video conference link, if another pandemic were to break out.
The consultation on changing the marriage regulations in England and Wales further aims to reduce the cost of ceremonies by allowing couples to marry at home or in more modest community venues.
Prof Nick Hopkins, who oversees family law at the Law Commission, said: “A couple’s wedding day is one of the most important events in their lives, yet the 19th-century laws are not fit for purpose and stop many couples having a wedding that is meaningful and personal to them.
“Our proposals would give couples the freedom to choose the wedding venue they want and a ceremony that is meaningful for them. By doing so, we hope to make the laws that govern weddings reflect the wishes and needs of today’s society.”
The Law Commission said: “As the experience of couples wanting to get married during the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated, the laws governing how and where couples can marry are outdated and unnecessarily restrictive.”
