You may have come across stories in the news, or read posts on social media about changes to marriages happening this summer. We know that there has been a bit of confusion and some very crossed wires in terms of what actually happens, so we’ll do our best to make things clear for everyone here.
What is changing?
The new Marriage Schedule System legislation kicking in on May 4th is really modernising marriage registration for the first time since 1837. The process will move away from the current paper register (the traditional book that is signed by the couple and their witnesses), introducing a more secure system for keeping marriage records. The electronic register will also allow for the names of multiple parents of the couple to be included in the marriage entry and on marriage certificates, instead of only fathers’ names as is currently the case. This is the same system that is already in place for registering Civil Partnerships, so it’s more a matter of catching up with them!
What does that mean for my ceremony?
There are 2 subtle differences that you may notice. Firstly, you will not sign in an old fashioned register ‘book’. You and your witnesses will sign a single sheet of paper called a ‘Schedule’ that is unique to the couple. You will still be able to have the traditional photo opportunities at this point of the ceremony if you wish.
Secondly, it will not be possible to provide you with a certificate of marriage on the day of your ceremony. It will be posted to you within 5 working days. Don’t worry, you are legally married from the moment you say your vows.
What do I need to do?
Nothing! The registrar attending your ceremony will deal with the paperwork for you. As soon as they are back at the office they will upload all your marriage details to the electronic register. Once that’s done, they can request your certificate (and additional copies if you’ve ordered extras in advance) to be created and sent out to you.
Will I need to give notice again?
If you have already given notice at your local register office, there is no need to do that again as a result of these changes. Our team have all the details they need to create the necessary paperwork for your schedule documents ready for your ceremony. If you have not yet given notice, the process remains the same. The normal rules for giving notice between 28 days and 1 year before your big day still apply. You’ll only need to give notice again if you move your venue or if a year passes since your original notice appointment.
When I gave notice, I was only asked for my father’s name. How do I give you details of my other parent(s)?
The registrar will ask you this information on the day – there’s no need to send in the additional information in advance. It’s now possible to include up to 4 parents per person on the registration, so you may want to consider who you’d like to be included.
Parents may include:
- Mother(s), natural, adoptive, or step parent*
- Father(s), natural, adoptive or step parent*
- Parent(s), this could be a non-binary identifying parent or when legal parenthood has been transferred by a parental order
*A step-parent is a person who is, or who has been married to or in a civil partnership with the mother, father or parent
The inclusion (or not) of parent details on your registration is entirely your choice. If you have a particular preference for the order in which parent details appear on your registration you will need to inform the registrar before your ceremony.
How do I prove I’m legally married if I don’t get a certificate on the day?
We appreciate this may be a difficulty for some couples; for example where you may be going on a honeymoon that requires proof of marriage to validate a special offer, or where you may be moving to a country where couples must be legally wed to live together. This is now the way the system will work nationally, so is out of our hands, unfortunately.
We are suggesting a couple of possible ways around this for couples who are worried that they may be impacted by this change, until businesses catch up with the new legislation:
- Contact your honeymoon provider, travel destination etc and inform them of the change in legislation. We have been informed that the .Gov website should be updated on May 4th which may be sufficient evidence that a certificate cannot be obtained on the day of your ceremony.
- Take a photograph of your signed schedule on the day of your ceremony. We cannot guarantee that this will be satisfactory evidence for all purposes, so do check in advance whether this will be accepted.
This is a national change in legislation impacting marriage ceremonies throughout England and Wales and as such is out of our control. However, a similar process has been in place for many years in Scotland and for Civil Partnerships in England and Wales so businesses and organisations should have something in place to deal with this situation.
How do I order extra certificates?
You can order extra copies in advance of your wedding if you know you’d like more. This can easily be done when you come in to give notice or when you pay for your ceremony. We will add notes to your file so that all the copies requested are sent out together following your ceremony.
You can always order additional copies via the Somerset County Council website after your wedding if you realised you need more or have lost the original. You can check current prices in our More Information section – the cost at the time of writing is £11 per certificate, and the price is set nationally.