What are the new rules for marriage in the UK?

Since February 2023 the minimum age to marry is 18 across England and Wales, so no one can marry at 16 or 17 even with parental consent. Since 2021 your marriage is recorded in a marriage schedule that you and your partner sign on the day, not in a register book. Since 2022 approved venues can hold civil ceremonies outdoors within their grounds, so you can marry in a garden or courtyard. Civil ceremonies cannot include hymns, prayers or religious readings, but poems, songs and non-religious readings are allowed if the registrar agrees.

You must both give notice in person at your local register office at least 28 full days before the ceremony. A notice is valid for 12 months, so the wedding must take place within that window. You need two witnesses aged 16 or over. Same-sex couples can marry and each religious organisation decides whether it will hold same-sex weddings.