31 July 2026
Linked to our report in Marinetalk about the senior ministerial visit to British Marine member, Hobbs of Henley, on 16 July, the Ministry of Justice’s consultation on Reforming Wedding Law in England and Wales, including its proposal to permit weddings on inland, coastal and international waters, is now live and will run till 25 September.
Members will know that British Marine has long called for wedding laws in England and Wales to be brought in line with other nations where people can legally marry onboard boats, whether moored or underway. These changes would open up more exciting opportunities for the hire & charter sector, as well as passenger boat operators, enabling them to expand their offer to couples seeking unique on-the-water weddings and whom till now have been largely constrained to choosing from a limited range of approved buildings for their actual wedding ceremonies.
Our aim is to ensure the legislative changes that will follow this current consultation process maximises business opportunities for as many of our members as possible, from those operating inland day hire boats to offshore charter yacht companies. This is why we will respond and are inviting interested member to share their views with us as soon as possible.
To view the 90 page consultation document, and or our Summary Note that highlights key issues for consideration, please go to ‘consultations’ section on our Public Affairs webpage here.
As well as expanding the choice about how and where couples can legally marry, the Government plans to introduce a ‘Dignity Framework’. This would place significant legal duties on officiants, including on newly proposed ‘independent officiants’ and ‘maritime officiants’, to ensure that the dignity and significance of marriage is upheld. Officiants would need to be confident that a chosen location could be attended safely, that participants would be able to focus on the ceremony, and that risks of any foreseeable and preventable distractions would be minimised.
The consultation paper makes clear that permitting weddings in territorial seas and inland waters would include, but not be limited to, weddings on canal boats, narrowboats, river cruise boats, as well as on coastal passenger boats and sailing yachts. It also proposes allowing weddings on UK-registered cruise ships cruising in international waters although British Marine thinks that should also be permitted on other professional crewed vessels of an appropriate size.
To help inform British Marine’s response please contact Joanna Richardson, our External Relations Manager, before 15 September, via email jrichardson@britishmarine.co.uk.