Outdoor Civil Weddings & Partnerships To Be Legal From Next Month

From the the 1st July, civil partnerships and weddings will be allowed to take place outdoors for the first time in England and Wales. At present, laws for approved premises such as hotels and stately homes require civil ceremonies or partnerships to take place in an approved room or permanent structure. The latest change in the law will allow couples in England and Wales to hold their whole wedding celebrations outdoors at such venues from 1st July until April 2022. A consultation will take place to see if this change should become permanent.

According to the government, this change will impact almost 75% of all weddings in England and Wales that are non-religious and which take place on approved premises, along with civil partnerships. 

The justice secretary, Robert Buckland, said: “A couple’s wedding day is one of the most special times in their lives and this change will allow them to celebrate it the way that they want. At the same time, this step will support the marriage sector by providing greater choice and helping venues to meet demand for larger ceremonies.”

Currently, an outdoor wedding ceremony can only take place under a licensed structure, such as a pagoda or summer house type building. This change only applies to locations that already are approved to host weddings and partnerships, so while it will offer more flexibility for your wedding setting at your chosen venue, it will not increase the number of venues available to couples. 

This change will come as a welcome boost for engaged couples, wedding venues and suppliers as it will mean more guests can attend events affected by social-distancing rules, providing greater flexibility and helping the wedding industry recover from the pandemic. 

There will be no vote needed for this change to take place as it will be introduced through a statutory instrument. 

For more official guidelines, see the latest Coronavirus UK wedding news here.