Changing Wedding Laws
Changing Wedding Laws
June 14, 2005Posted By weddings
More articles on the Weddings topic: Wedding News
UK Wedding Laws may be changing soon. Current legislation prevents couples from readings that make reference to God and they must avoid "non-secular" readings if they opt to not be married in a church.
The current rules have lead to cases of individual registrars banning seemingly benign songs for their ostensible religious connotations.
The Office for National Statistics has conducted a review of the existing laws and will be recommending the relaxing of the law that dictates what can be said or played at non-church weddings. Although Civil Ceremonies have existed since 1837, the current set of rules that dictate what can be said, played, or read at these ceremonies only dates back to 1949. The current review was prompted by Chancellor Gordon Brown, of the Treasury department which oversees the Office of National Statistics. He asked for examples of constituents who had selections rejected by their registrars on the grounds that they were too religious. Apparently ministers are supporting these changes, but a backlash from conservative religious groups is expected.
The number of British Religious Weddings fell to a 100 year low in 2001, and it has risen only slightly since. Civil Ceremonies outnumber religious ceremonies by more than two-to-one.
