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New Venues for Civil Marriages

A 2002 Act of the Scottish Parliament has widened the choice of venues for civil marriages - and almost 2,700 couples chose one of the new venues in the Act's first 13 months.

The Marriage (Scotland) Act 2002 allows registrars to conduct civil marriages outwith registration offices.  Over 420 places have been approved by local authorities as suitable venues, including castles, hotels, golf courses, ships, a lighthouse and even a former jail.

The new arrangements may be contributing to an increase of approximately 3 per cent in the total number of civil marriages in Scotland in the last year.

Speaking from Edinburgh Castle's Gatehouse Suite (one of the approved places) Registrar General Duncan Macniven said:

"The Marriage (Scotland) Act 2002 has already made a difference to the people and economy of Scotland.  Couples who want a civil marriage ceremony can choose from a wide variety of places for their special day - in addition to the traditional registration office.

"People who run castles and hotels have seized this excellent opportunity to offer their properties as civil marriage venues.

"This greater choice has also brought advantages for the tourism industry.  Thirty per cent of marriages in Scotland are now "tourist weddings" in the romantic settings which Scotland can offer - not only to celebrities but to all visitors."

Legislation

"To permit civil marriages to be solemnised at locations other than registration offices; to authorise local authorities to license locations for that purpose; and to charge fees to meet related costs and for connected purposes".

The Bill followed extensive consultation carried out in 1998 by the Registrar General for Scotland.  The civil marriage proposals were originally brought forward by the lodging of Euan Robson's Member's Bill in March 2000 and developed into the publication on 21 June 2001 of the Scottish Executive's proposals and draft legislation in the White Paper Civil Marriages Outwith Registration Offices.

The Marriage (Scotland) Act 2002 came into force on 25 April 2002.  It can be viewed on the HMSO website.  The Act was followed by The Marriage (Approval of Places) (Scotland) Regulations 2002 (S.S.I. 2002 No. 260), which came into force on 10 June 2002.  The text of the Regulations is available on the HMSO website.  In addition, on 10 June 2002, the Registrar General issued his Guidance to Scottish Local Authorities on the Approval of Places for Civil Marriage.  The Guidance can be viewed on the GROS website.  That paved the way for local authorities to begin approving places.

The Marriage (Scotland) Act 2002:-

• permits civil marriages to be solemnised at locations other than registration offices;
• authorises local councils to approve locations for that purpose and to charge fees to meet related costs and for connected purposes; and
• enables the Registrar General for Scotland to give guidance to local councils.

Marriages in Approved Places

Notes to News Editors

1. Annex A lists some of the more unusual venues where civil marriages have taken place.  These include a golf course, a distillery and even a jail.  Annex B provides some useful statistics, including that:-

• the new arrangements may be contributing to an increase in the total number of marriages in Scotland (of about 3 per cent).  In a full year of the new arrangements (October 2002 to September 2003), there were 30,504 religious and civil marriages, compared with 29,621 in calendar year 2001.
• There is strong demand for civil marriages in approved places (representing 8.5per cent of all marriages between October 2002 and September 2003, and 19 per cent of all civil marriages in that period);
• there is some shift from religious marriages to civil marriages (civil marriages were 43.7 per cent of all marriages between October 2002 and September 2003, against 38.8 per cent in 2001);
• some 30 per cent of all marriages between October 2002 and September 2003 were tourism marriages (i.e. neither of the couple resident in Scotland).  In 4 per cent of weddings, neither of the couple was resident in the UK.

Annex A

Some Unusual Venues at which Civil Marriages have Taken Place

Annex B

Marriages

Number of civil marriages outwith registration offices
between 5 August 2002 and 30 September 2003
(provisional)

Marriages between 1 October 2002 and 30 September 2003
(provisional)

Marriage Trends - No. of couples married

Marriages in 2001 and between 1 October 2002
and 30 September 2003 by country of birth (provisional)

Marriages in 2001 and between 1 October 2002
and 30 September 2003 by country of residence (provisional)