A Yorkshire celebrant who has spent more than 30 years campaigning for greater choice in weddings has helped bring about the biggest proposed changes to marriage law in England and Wales for almost 200 years. Stuart Morris joined Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy on the River Thames as the government launched a landmark public consultation that could transform where, how and by whom couples can legally marry.
STUART MORRIS, 58, from Malham, North Yorkshire, is the founder of The International College of Professional Celebrants (ICPC), the world’s largest trainer of wedding and funeral celebrants. On 16 July he joined Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy aboard a boat on the Thames, where he interviewed the Justice Secretary during the launch of the government’s long-awaited proposals to modernise marriage law.
“The legislation governing marriage has evolved over centuries and has become a complicated system that no longer reflects the needs of today’s couples,” Stuart said.
He was invited to take part following years of collaboration with the Ministry of Justice through the Wedding Celebrancy Commission, which he helped establish and where he serves as an executive board member. His work has included meetings with Baroness Levitt and contributing to discussions on how marriage law could be updated.
The Commission also funded independent research through the Open University to examine what modern couples want from their wedding ceremonies and to explore international models, including Australia’s system, where independent civil celebrants have legally conducted marriages since the 1970s. That research helped shape the Law Commission’s 2022 report, which forms the basis of the current consultation.
Stuart said: “A British couple can marry in Las Vegas and have that marriage recognised when they return home, but they cannot legally marry with an independent celebrant in their own garden or at a Yorkshire barn. In England and Wales, legal weddings are still largely restricted to registrars and authorised religious ministers, leaving many couples with little flexibility over who leads their ceremony.”
He continued: “For same-sex couples, interfaith families and people whose beliefs fall outside recognised religions, the choices can be very limited. Many are left with a basic statutory ceremony that feels impersonal and offers little opportunity to celebrate their relationship in a meaningful way. These reforms could finally put couples, rather than bureaucracy, at the heart of the law.”
“I’ve spent my career helping people through life’s most significant moments. Whether it’s a funeral or a wedding, every ceremony should reflect the people at its centre. Marriage law needs to catch up with the society we live in today.”
The government says the consultation is intended to give couples greater freedom over where they marry, help reduce costs, support the wedding, tourism and hospitality sectors, particularly independent venues, and strengthen legal safeguards surrounding marriage. Around 470,000 couples marry each year in England and Wales under legislation that dates back centuries.
If adopted, the proposals would allow legal weddings to take place in a much wider variety of locations, including beaches, forests, castles, canal boats and cruise ships. Ministers also believe the reforms could make weddings more affordable. The average wedding now costs more than £20,000, with venue hire typically accounting for around £6,000 before catering, a cost many couples cite as a barrier to marriage.
Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy said:
“They say you can’t put a price on love, but too often the cost of weddings puts this commitment out of reach. That’s why I’m reforming archaic rules so couples have more freedom to say ‘I do’ on their own terms while strengthening safeguards to protect the meaning and permanence of marriage.”
The consultation also proposes a more consistent legal framework for faith and belief ceremonies. Under the plans, couples would no longer have to choose between a ceremony that reflects their beliefs and one that provides full legal recognition. The reforms would also make it easier for interfaith couples to celebrate both traditions within a single legally recognised ceremony.
Through ICPC, Stuart trains celebrants who conduct ceremonies for more than one million people each year across the UK. The organisation also has 50 per cent more active members than any other celebrancy training body in the country.
His forthcoming book, Hello, I Love You, Goodbye, explores the enduring importance of ceremonies and rites of passage. The first four chapters are available now at hilyg.uk.
The public consultation is now open at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/tying-the-knot-reforming-weddings-law-in-england-and-wales. The consultation will run from July 16 to September 24, lasting 10 weeks.
