Irish Wedding News
15/05/2013
Outdoor weddings could become an option for couples wishing to tie the knot after the Government agreed to consider giving non-religious wedding ceremonies, including 'Jedi marriages', legal status.
If the changes go through, many groups, including humanists, would be allowed to conduct legally-binding ceremonies in England and Wales, the Independent has said.
Under the current rules, marriages are only legal if they are conducted by an authorised religious or civic official, with the being signed indoors for the marriage to count.
However, the amendments mean non-religious groups would also be able to perform legally binding ceremonies. This would include humanists, pagans, spiritualists and those who follow the 'Jedi faith'.
In Scotland, around 2,500 humanist marriages are already carried out each year, with the British Humanist Association (BHA) carrying out more than 600 weddings annually. The couples involved must also attend a registry office or church to ensure their union is legally binding.
The decision to redefine the legal status was proposed by a cross-party group of MPs who are examining the Government’s same-sex marriage plans.
Last month, an attempt to amend the gay marriage Bill to allow humanist marriages was defeated.
Helen Grant, a justice minister who has been in talks with the BHA about the proposed changes, said: "The inability to hold legally valid humanist marriages in England and Wales, including the option of holding marriages outdoors, is one of several issues that merit further consideration."
Humanist weddings were given legal status in Scotland eight years ago and have become the third most popular form of marriage in the country.
(JP/CD)
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Jedi Weddings Could Be Legalised
Outdoor weddings could become an option for couples wishing to tie the knot after the Government agreed to consider giving non-religious wedding ceremonies, including 'Jedi marriages', legal status.
If the changes go through, many groups, including humanists, would be allowed to conduct legally-binding ceremonies in England and Wales, the Independent has said.
Under the current rules, marriages are only legal if they are conducted by an authorised religious or civic official, with the being signed indoors for the marriage to count.
However, the amendments mean non-religious groups would also be able to perform legally binding ceremonies. This would include humanists, pagans, spiritualists and those who follow the 'Jedi faith'.
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In Scotland, around 2,500 humanist marriages are already carried out each year, with the British Humanist Association (BHA) carrying out more than 600 weddings annually. The couples involved must also attend a registry office or church to ensure their union is legally binding.
The decision to redefine the legal status was proposed by a cross-party group of MPs who are examining the Government’s same-sex marriage plans.
Last month, an attempt to amend the gay marriage Bill to allow humanist marriages was defeated.
Helen Grant, a justice minister who has been in talks with the BHA about the proposed changes, said: "The inability to hold legally valid humanist marriages in England and Wales, including the option of holding marriages outdoors, is one of several issues that merit further consideration."
Humanist weddings were given legal status in Scotland eight years ago and have become the third most popular form of marriage in the country.
(JP/CD)
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