25/05/2024
We were delighted to hear the news yesterday that an election has been called for 4th July - we happened to be in Westminster at the time so was pretty exciting 😄 So it really is time to take action on the causes you care about...
Wedding law reform is a cause we are hugely passionate about and it's been far too long waiting for something to happen.
Nine years ago, the Government acknowledged that there was a dire need for reform in the wedding laws of England & Wales, and in 2019 they asked the Law Commission to conduct a thorough review of this law.
In 2022, the Law Commission concluded that the current wedding law is “failing to support marriage” and is “unfair and restrictive”, and published clear and comprehensive recommendations for reform.
And yet, despite all this work, the government has simply ignored these recommendations for the last 2 years.
Most people today will get married at some stage in their lives – so this affects a great many. Weddings are never going to be seen as a ‘priority’, but this could be a golden opportunity for an incoming government to show that they are progressive and in touch with what people want.
We see first hand that couples are frustrated with the lack of choice, discrimination and red tape in our wedding law. But this is about far more than just weddings – in fact, one of the key objectives of the law reform is to reduce the number of sham, forced or unrecognised marriages, improving the security of couples and families.
In addition, this law change would provide marrying couples with convenience, choice of venue, choice of officiant, and the opportunity to express their unique beliefs and values on one of the most important days of their lives.
Please get in touch with your local MPs and appeal to them asap if you want to see this change too 🙏
