Legal officiants vs legal venues

The wedding industry in the UK is worth £14.7billion, and the average cost of a wedding is over £20,000. This cost has double since 2020. With not only the cost, but the time and effort put into your wedding and making it one of the most special days of your life, you want to make sure that the event does actually legally marry you and your partner!

Joanna Newton, a partner at Stowe Family Law, advises on the changes, and what couples need to consider....

In England and Wales, for your marriage to be legally binding, your ceremony venue needs to be a registered location. For more and more people, this is their local registry office, as they are choosing to have their wedding in venues that, whilst special to the couple, are unlicensed. In many cases, this means couples are having two weddings – one for the legal bit and one for the fun! 

It can be very easy to get swept away in the excitement and romance (and stress!) of planning your wedding. Choosing a venue is one of the first decisions a couple will make, and everything else falls into place afterwards. However, it is important that you check in those first stages whether your venue is licensed. This can be done easily through speaking to the venue provider or contacting your local council. Venues can also apply to for a ‘grant of approval’ to hold civil marriages and civil partnerships.

Not only does your venue have to adhere to these rules, but in the majority of cases, the person who officiates your ceremony will need to be registered. If your officiant is a religious leader in the Church of England, Church of Wales, Catholic, Jewish or Quaker faiths, they will automatically have the ability to legally conduct your marriage ceremony. Other leaders may need to apply for a license. 

What this means is that humanist ceremonies, independent or celebrant-led ceremonies are not legally binding, regardless of where they are conducted. 

In 2022, the Law Commission published proposals on reforming the wedding laws which would make it easier for couples to choose where they marry and give them the ability to have one ceremony rather than two. The key proposal is to place the regulatory tie onto the officiant, rather than the building. This would allow legally binding ceremonies to be conducted anywhere the couple chose, providing the officiant was licensed. 

This has been raised by the Government recently, after several years of delays to potential proposals. There will hopefully be a consultation on the proposals at the beginning of 2026. Ultimately, if these new laws were to come in, it could mean a real change to the way weddings are treated in the UK and allow much more personalisation in legal ceremonies than is currently allowed. Unfortunately, there is no set date, or guarantee that these laws will be amended yet. 

In the meantime, its important to understand the legal aspects around your wedding ceremony, and ensure you get legally married, or civilly partnered, if this is what you’re choosing to do. Remember that your reception venue does not need to be licensed, just wherever you are having the ceremony. If you want to have your whole day at an unlicensed venue, you will need to get civilly married at a registry office. Many people choose to do this part before their big day so there is less stress and pressure.

Of course, many couples choose not to be legally married. There is the option of a civil partnership, which gives couples the same legal rights and responsibilities as being married but is less attached to traditional societal norms. 

Commitment ceremonies are another option. These can be held in the same way that marriage ceremonies are, and the couple can exchange vows. However, they will not include the legal aspects, and can take place anywhere the couple chooses, for example a favourite beach, park or even abroad.

Whatever you choose, your wedding day is about you and your partner – your day can reflect this. If you want to ensure the marriage is legal, and you then have the safety and benefits of being married, you will need to ensure your venue and officiant are licensed (even if they are separate). It is hoped that the legal responsibility for venues to be registered will be removed, freeing up choices. So, we await the Government’s consultation with eagerness.