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Huzzah! Outdoor weddings have been made legal in England and Wales for good

After they were permitted during the pandemic as a temporary measure, alfresco ceremonies are here to stay

Ed Cunningham
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Ed Cunningham
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Being forced to hold weddings in dingy old churches and stale town halls will soon be a thing of the past for people in England and Wales. Ministers have announced that a temporary law, which was implemented last summer to allow weddings and civil partnerships to take place outside, is to be made permanent. 

The law change was originally introduced to allow for bigger weddings during the pandemic. After all, not cramming loads of probably-drunk people into a wedding venue kind of made sense when there was a very contagious, potentially fatal virus on the loose.

The temporary measures will officially be made permanent from next month. But before you get carried away, you won’t be able to get married in any old field. All wedding venues – including those that are completely outside – will still need an official licence.

But it’s still pretty great news. After all, why shouldn’t you be able to get married wherever you want, even out there in the Great British Outdoors? Now all you’ve got to contend with is the weather… 

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