We all know that the upcoming wedding law reform is well overdue and much needed. The benefits of offering more choice, equality and fairness to couples who choose to marry are paramount, but we were also interested to learn that wedding law reform could boost the UK economy by up to £1.1bn over a 10-year period. In this blog, we summarise the key economic predictions made by the Law Commission of England and Wales, paying particular attention to the estimated economic value of including independent celebrants.
The Aims Of Wedding Law Reform
From the beginning of its project, the Law Commission set out the principle aim of recommending a “reformed law of weddings that allows for greater choice within a simple, fair and consistent legal structure” (Law Commission, 2019). The policy objectives were as follows:
- Simplify and rationalise the requirements and remove unnecessary red tape to make it fair, easier to follow, and more efficient;
- Provide a framework that could allow non-religious belief organisations (such as Humanists) and/or independent celebrants to conduct legally binding weddings;
- Offer couples greater flexibility over the form their wedding ceremonies will take;
- Ensure that fewer weddings result in a marriage that the law does not recognise at all.
LAW COMMISSION, 2022
Following publication and government acceptance of its final recommendations, the Law Commission’s Impact Assessment estimates the costs and benefits of implementing wide-ranging reform in the form of primary and secondary legislation. These estimates are based on the implementation of all recommendations, including enabling officiants nominated by non-religious belief organisations (NRBOs), such as Humanists, and independent celebrants to officiate at legally binding weddings.
Estimated Cost Of Wedding Law Reform
The implementation of any new law carries costs, both transitional and long term. The Law Commission offers low, high and best-estimate options for these costs, as follows:
Low: £4.17 million
High: £45.58 million
Best Estimate: £28.42 million
These totals are further divided into categories based on the main affected groups. Transitional costs include familiarisation with new procedures, training for officiants, and new IT systems. Ongoing costs include officiants agreeing ceremony locations with couples, and the loss of banns fees for Anglican churches.
Under Recommendations 19, 20, 23 and 25, there will be an ongoing cost to NRBO-nominating bodies (such as Humanists UK) and to independent officiants applying for and maintaining authorisation via the General Register Office (GRO). The level of these costs will depend largely on the levels of fees set by the GRO and other relevant organisations.
The Law Commission says: “Some familiarisation costs are likely across a range of users from local authorities (registration officers) / religious officiants / NRBO officiants and independent officiants who will need to review the updated procedures and new guidance, provide and receive training.”
LAW COMMISSION, 2022
Estimated Financial Benefit Of Wedding Law Reform
The Law Commission offers low, high and best-estimate options for the cost benefits of wedding law reform:
Low: £118.51 million
High: £1182.45 million
Best Estimate: £563.45 million
These totals are further divided into categories based on the main affected groups. In this case, no transitional benefits were identified, but the estimated ongoing benefits were substantial.
These benefits included savings to overseas residents marrying in England and Wales, allowing in-person interviews in any registration district, a reduced number of banns being issued, a reduced number of registration officers required at religious weddings, a removal of the need for an additional legally recognised wedding ceremony, and reduced regulatory costs for businesses.
Estimated Net Benefit Of Wedding Law Reform
Taking into account the estimated costs and financial benefits, the Law Commission offers low, high and best-estimate options for the overall (net) benefit of wedding law reform, as follows:
Low: £114.34 million
High: £1136.87 million
Best Estimate: £535.03 million
This clearly shows that, despite the initial setup and ongoing costs, wedding law reform as proposed by the Law Commission would have an overall financial benefit of up to £1.1bn over a 10-year period, based on the highest estimate.
Will Wedding Law Reform Lead To More Couples Marrying?
By providing greater choice, there is increased potential for a rise in the number of weddings taking place. This ushers in enhanced scope for industry growth.
The Law Commission’s Impact Assessment (published in 2022) references data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which showed that:
- In 2019, there were 219,850 marriages in England and Wales.
- This number marked a decrease of 6.4% compared to 2018.
- Of these, 6,728 were same-sex couples.
- Marriage rates for opposite-sex couples were the lowest on record since 1862.
- Religious ceremonies made up the minority of marriages – only 18.7% of opposite-sex marriages (the lowest on record) and 0.7% of same-sex marriages were religious ceremonies.
These figures paint a picture of a more secular society and a declining rate of couples choosing to marry. Based on this, and on the extensive market research carried out by the Law Commission, it seems clear that there is overall dissatisfaction with the current legal process.
However, the Law Commission estimates that reform based on its recommendations (and the inclusion of independent celebrants) would lead to an increase of 2%, 3% or 4% (low, central and high estimates) on these 2019 figures. Based on the highest figure, it estimates a total of 228,801 weddings per year.
This will be largely driven by the increased choice and representation available to couples, but reform will also allow England and Wales to retain more of the couples who might go abroad to get married, with corresponding benefits for the economy as a whole.
“Our recommendations will increase the number of weddings that take place in England and Wales by making this jurisdiction a more attractive choice. Our recommended scheme would bring the law of England and Wales in line with the laws of its close neighbours, such as Scotland, and with other common law jurisdictions such as Australia and Canada. This will benefit other businesses as well as wedding venues, for example the tourism industry, with corresponding benefit to the economy as a whole.”
LAW COMMISSION, 2022
Will Wedding Law Reform Lead To More Couples Choosing Independent Celebrants?
Within its assessment, the Law Commission estimates that the number of weddings led by independent officiants would be between 50,710 and 51,710 per year. Based on the highest estimates, this would represent over 22% of the total number of weddings.
It should be noted that this wholly depends on whether or not the Government decides to include independent celebrants within the reformed law. The figures presented by the Law Commission do assume their inclusion, but this remains a decision for the UK Government.
According to the Ministry of Justice, a public consultation is set to take place in early 2026, in which the question of whether or not to include independent celebrants will be a key topic for discussion. In preparation for this, you may wish to read the GCCM Policy Paper on wedding law reform – and write to your MP if you support this cause!
Conclusion
Although the costs and benefits of any substantial law change are difficult to quantify, the Law Commission’s impact assessment offers an excellent estimate of the financial picture once the new law is implemented. A net benefit to couples, organisations, businesses and the wider economy will likely total between £114m and £1.1bn over a 10-year period. But it is clear that the biggest benefit will be one of equality, fairness and transparency, allowing all couples to have a wedding ceremony that is meaningful to them.