Plans to allow couples to marry pretty much anywhere are being examined by the government.
The Law Commission has recommended that the location should cease to matter in the eyes of the law if it is “safe and dignified”, as long as it is conducted by a legally registered officiant.
This would increase the choice and lower the cost of wedding venues, the report said, proposing “the most comprehensive overhaul to weddings law since at least the 19th century”.
Couples are only allowed to marry in preregistered locations in England and Wales, which has allowed registered venues to charge a premium.
The commission, which keeps English and Welsh law under review, said: “Couples will be able to get married in a much wider variety of locations, including outside in a place unconnected with any building, such as in a forest, on a beach or in a local park; in affordable local venues, such as community centres and village halls, as well as in their own homes; and in international waters on cruise ships that are registered in the UK.”
