Outdoor and evening weddings on the way
By Andrew Sparrow Daily Telegraph 23/1/02

Couples will be able to marry almost wherever and whenever they want under plans to modernise civil wedding ceremonies.

The proposals will be particularly attractive to people who want to tie the knot at home, or those who want a ceremony in the open air.

Couples will also be able to get married in the evening, following the scrapping of a rule dating back to 1837.

The reforms, set out yesterday in a Government White Paper about changes to the system for registering births, death and marriages, were warmly welcomed.

Until 1994 couples who did not want a religious ceremony had to marry in a register office. The Marriage Act that year changed the rules to allow civil weddings to be carried out in other places such as stately homes with a special licence.

Under the new system, which will apply in England and Wales, register office officials will be known as "celebrants" and will be able to conduct ceremonies wherever the bride and groom want.

The only restrictions will be that the venue should meet health and safety regulations and that the "solemnity and dignity" of the occasion should be preserved.

Currently, weddings must take place between 8am and 6pm. This rule was drawn up when civil marriages were first introduced in 1837 and it was designed to stop people marrying the wrong partner in the dark in the days before electricity.

Couples will also be allowed to post notice of their impending marriage anywhere in the country, rather than in the area where they live.

The Government plans to bring in the new rules using the order making powers in the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 but the General Register Office said reform would take at least two years.

Christine Hayes, editor of Wedding and Home magazine, said: "This is good news for couples who have always wanted to get married outside, which was impossible under the old legislation.

"There is already a big trend towards weddings reflecting the personalities of the couple exchanging vows, and this will mean that they can now celebrate their marriage in the perfect setting for them."

Oliver Letwin, the shadow home secretary, said: "The Conservative Party believes that marriage is a centrepiece of our society because the commitment it involves provides the best hope for a solid background for our children.

"We therefore welcome any measure which makes it more attractive to make that commitment."

Among its other proposals, the White Paper will also give people the right to register births and deaths by telephone or on the internet. They will no longer have to go to the register office.

A central database of registration will be set up. In time, all existing registration records will be computerised.

Some of the information currently available to members of the public will be reduced. Individuals will still be able to obtain other people's birth, death and marriage certificates but some of the details, such as addresses, will not be made public.