The government has launched a public consultation on what it calls the biggest change to weddings law in England and Wales in almost 200 years. Under the new plans, couples could legally marry at home, in a pub, or even on a cruise ship.

At the moment, a wedding in England and Wales has to take place at a licensed venue — somewhere officially approved by the local council — to count in law. The rules go all the way back to 1836, when civil marriage was first introduced. Civil marriage simply means a legally binding wedding carried out by the state, not by a church. The new proposals would let couples marry almost anywhere, as long as a registered officiant — someone officially allowed to conduct weddings — has approved the location (BBC News).

The consultation document is called "Tying the Knot: Reforming Weddings Law in England and Wales." It sets out a new legal structure for civil weddings. Getting married would involve three stages, but the key parts of the ceremony would be straightforward: signing the paperwork and agreeing to the marriage in front of an officiant (gov.uk).

The reforms follow years of advice from the Law Commission, an independent body that reviews laws and suggests changes. The Commission has long said the rules from 1836 are out of date (Law Commission).

One notable part of the plans is what the government calls a "dignity framework." This would stop ceremonies that are treated as a joke or a gimmick. Skydiving, white-water rafting, and rollercoaster weddings are given as examples that would not be allowed. The document also says people should not be eating, drinking, or consuming alcohol during the ceremony itself (BBC News).

The government also wants to relax the rules on religious content. At the moment, religious material — such as a reading from the Bible — is not allowed during a civil ceremony. Under the new plans, that could change.

Another proposed change would give legal standing to non-religious belief groups, including Humanists, who focus on human values rather than religion. At the moment, a Humanist wedding in England and Wales is not legally binding, so couples have to do a separate civil registration as well. The new rules would change that.

The government says cost is part of the reason for the changes. Hiring a wedding venue alone typically costs around £6,000, before any food or drink (gov.uk).

The consultation is open until 24 September. After that, the government would need to pass a new law to make the changes real, so they are unlikely to come into effect before next year at the earliest.

These changes would apply only to England and Wales. Marriage law is handled separately in Scotland, where the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood has allowed Humanist weddings to be legally binding since 2005. Northern Ireland, which has its own legislature at Stormont, has different rules again. Any change made at Westminster will not apply there.

The broader context here is one of slow, steady modernisation of a set of laws that has barely changed since Victorian times. The 1836 Act created civil marriage in the first place. Now, nearly two centuries later, the government wants to remove the link between a fixed venue and a legally valid wedding. The dignity framework is the counterweight: ministers want more flexibility, but not a free-for-all. Where the line falls between a garden wedding and a white-water rafting ceremony will be decided after the consultation responses are in.

For anyone working in the weddings industry, for council registrars who conduct ceremonies, and for faith and belief groups, the consultation period is the time to have your say. Turning these proposals into law will mean fitting new legislation into the government's parliamentary schedule, and exactly when that will happen is still unclear.