The Government’s consultation on wedding law reform in England and Wales closed on 24 September 2026. Among other questions, the Ministry of Justice asked whether independent officiants, such as independent celebrants, should be allowed to conduct legally binding weddings. Thank you to every celebrant and couple who took the time to respond. With the responses now in the Government’s hands, it is a good moment to look back at what was proposed and at the evidence behind it.
The Academy of Modern Celebrancy (AMC), a UK-based global celebrant training provider and an active supporter of the Give Couples Choice Movement, publishes the UK Celebrant Industry State of Play Report 2026/27, its annual review of the celebrant profession in the United Kingdom. The report brings together Government statistics, industry estimates, consumer research, Google search trends and AMC’s own analysis. It takes a close look at the Government’s own published figures, and it raises a question worth asking before any final decisions are made.
Quick answer The wedding law reform consultation closed on 24 September 2026, and the Government is now analysing the responses. Its initial position is that independent celebrants should be able to conduct legal weddings, subject to a new regulatory system. The Academy of Modern Celebrancy’s State of Play report notes that the Government’s central model gives independent celebrants and non-religious belief organisations, such as Humanist organisations, the same number of weddings, although independent ceremonies currently outnumber Humanist ones by about 10 to 1. The Law Society has also backed giving couples greater freedom over how and where they marry. As of late October 2026, no date has been set for new legislation.
In this article
- What did the wedding law reform consultation propose?
- What does the State of Play report say about the Government’s figures?
- Why does the Government assume an equal split?
- What did the Law Society say about the reforms?
- What happens next with wedding law reform?
- Frequently asked questions
- Read the State of Play report
What did the wedding law reform consultation propose?
The consultation proposed moving from a system based on buildings to one based on the person who conducts the ceremony. The Ministry of Justice consultation, Tying the knot: reforming weddings law in England and Wales, opened on 16 July 2026 and ran for 10 weeks.
An officiant is the person who conducts the ceremony. The Government’s initial position is that independent officiants, which would include independent celebrants, should be permitted to conduct legally binding weddings, subject to a new regulatory system covering authorisation, professional standards, training and oversight. Its proposals would also allow officiants nominated by non-religious belief organisations, including Humanist organisations, to conduct legal marriages for the first time.
These are still proposals. They remain subject to the outcome of the consultation and to future legislation.
What does the State of Play report say about the Government’s figures?
The Celebrant Industry State of Play Report 2026/27 finds that the Government’s central model divides the celebrant weddings that would become legal equally, even though today’s independent and Humanist ceremonies are not split that way. The report’s authors went through the Ministry of Justice’s consultation-stage impact assessment, the document that estimates the costs and benefits of the reform.
Under Option 3, the Government’s preferred reform, its central scenario assumes that annual marriages in England and Wales would rise by 3%, from 224,402 to about 231,134. It then gives independent officiants and non-religious belief organisations the same share of those weddings.
| Ceremony category | Assumed share of marriages | Estimated annual marriages |
|---|---|---|
| Independent officiants | 22.8% | 52,675 |
| Non-religious belief officiants, including Humanists | 22.8% | 52,675 |
| Combined | 45.6% | 105,350 |
Source: Ministry of Justice, consultation-stage impact assessment 2026, Option 3, central scenario, as set out in the State of Play report 2026/27.
The same impact assessment estimates that about 10,000 independent celebrant wedding ceremonies and 1,000 Humanist ceremonies currently take place in England and Wales each year. Neither kind is legally binding today, so couples still need a separate legal marriage. On the Government’s own figures, independent celebrant ceremonies outnumber Humanist ones by roughly 10 to 1.
To show what that gap could mean, the report divides the Government’s combined figure of 105,350 weddings according to the current 10-to-1 pattern.
| Scenario | Independent officiants | Non-religious belief officiants | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government central model | 52,675 | 52,675 | 105,350 |
| Illustrative 10-to-1 split | 95,773 | 9,577 | 105,350 |
Source: AMC illustration in the State of Play report 2026/27, based on Ministry of Justice figures. This is not a forecast.
The report is careful to call this an illustration, not a forecast. The current Humanist figure covers a narrower group than the Government’s proposed category of all non-religious belief organisations, and legal recognition could change how couples choose.
The comparison highlights a question the Government’s model has not yet answered: how would demand split between independent celebrants and non-religious belief officiants if both could conduct legal weddings? Asking it is not an argument against Humanist weddings. The Give Couples Choice Movement supports legal recognition for Humanist and independent celebrants alike.
Why does the Government assume an equal split?
The Government assumed an equal split because it had no reliable evidence of future demand for independent officiants. It took 22.8%, a figure based on Scottish marriage data for non-religious belief ceremonies, and applied the same percentage to independent officiants.
The impact assessment itself acknowledges that this is a weak assumption. In its August 2026 opinion, the Regulatory Policy Committee, which scrutinises the Government’s impact assessments, identified the 22.8% share for independent officiants as a significant source of uncertainty. It recommended that the final impact assessment test lower shares and show how they would affect the overall economic assessment.
Nobody yet knows whether the share of weddings led by independent officiants after reform will be lower than the 22.8% the committee wants tested, or higher, as today’s 10-to-1 pattern suggests. We would like the final impact assessment to test both, because the split shapes the economic case for the reform.
What did the Law Society say about the reforms?
The Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, backed reforms that would give couples more freedom over where and how they marry. The Law Gazette reported its consultation response on 28 September 2026.
Law Society president Mark Evans described reform as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a weddings framework that reflects modern society”, adding: “The right reforms can give couples greater freedom over how and where they marry.”
The Society supports removing unnecessary barriers to marriage and accommodating religious, non-religious and cultural traditions, with safeguards to make sure marriages are entered into freely and knowingly. It also advised against a fixed list of things a ceremony must not include. In its submission, the Society wrote: “Humorous, symbolic, theatrical or unconventional elements may be meaningful to those participating.”
The Law Gazette’s report does not set out the Society’s view on independent officiants specifically. Its support for couples’ freedom to celebrate in a way that is meaningful to them is still welcome, because that freedom is what personal, celebrant-led ceremonies are built on.
What happens next with wedding law reform?
The Government will now review and analyse the consultation responses before setting out its plans in more detail. The impact assessment will be updated for a final stage, and any legislation will be introduced “when parliamentary time allows”.
As of late October 2026, no date has been set, so we cannot promise couples that the law will change in time for their wedding. Independent celebrants can keep creating the ceremonies they already lead, alongside a couple’s separate legal marriage, while the Government decides.
Celebrants and couples have made the case for giving couples choice, and the Law Society has joined the call for greater freedom over how and where couples marry. Now we wait to see what the Government will do.
Frequently asked questions
Can independent celebrants conduct legal weddings in England and Wales yet?
No. Independent celebrants can lead a wedding ceremony, but it is not legally binding, so couples also need a separate legal marriage conducted by a registrar or other authorised person. The consultation proposed changing this, but nothing changes until Parliament passes new legislation.
When will the new wedding law come into force?
As of late October 2026, there is no date yet. The Government must first analyse the consultation responses and publish its plans, and legislation will follow “when parliamentary time allows”.
Is the 10-to-1 split a prediction?
No. It is an illustration in the State of Play report of how the Government’s combined estimate would divide if today’s pattern continued after reform. It is there to show that the equal split is an assumption, and that the real division of demand is still unknown.
What happened when Scotland made Humanist weddings legal?
Humanist marriage became legal in Scotland in 2005, when 82 Humanist marriages took place. By 2024 there were 8,142, about 30% of all Scottish marriages, according to National Records of Scotland figures in the State of Play report. Scotland has no equivalent category of independent officiant, so it is not a direct prediction for England and Wales.
Read the State of Play report
The State of Play report sets out the Government’s figures, the 10-to-1 illustration and the evidence on how the wider celebrant profession is growing, with every source referenced. Read the full UK Celebrant Industry State of Play Report 2026/27 from the Academy of Modern Celebrancy to see the analysis for yourself.
We’re a group of UK celebrants and wedding industry professionals, and we campaign for one thing: getting independent celebrants included in wedding law reform.
Right now a celebrant-led ceremony in England and Wales isn’t legally binding, so couples still need a separate legal marriage. We believe including independent celebrants is the only way to meet the needs of all couples who marry, whatever their background or beliefs.
We’ve published a policy paper on wedding law reform and surveyed couples to inform the Government consultation. We also responded to the Northern Ireland marriage law consultation.
Celebrants, venues, suppliers and couples can join the movement.