28th March 2014 by Adam
From the 29th of March 2014 gay marriage will be legal in England and Wales. This historic milestone will make England and Wales the 15th place in the world to recognise same-sex weddings as the same as heterosexual weddings. Scotland has passed its own bill to recognise these ceremonies but it will come into force later in the year. Currently Northern Ireland is not expected to recognise these events.
Along with same-sex wedding ceremonies being conducted in England and Wales, any ceremonies that took place overseas in countries such as Canada, prior to this date will now also be recognised as legal marriages.
Under the terms of the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act religious organisations will have to 'opt-in' in order to be able to offer same-sex wedding ceremonies, however the Church of England and the Church in Wales will be prevented from doing so by law.
Civil partnerships became legal in the UK in 2004, in effect giving same-sex couples the same legal recognition as heterosexual couples. Those who have already had a civil partnership ceremony can choose to have their partnership ‘upgraded’ to a marriage; however there is no obligation to do so. The procedure to do so is expected to be in place by the end of the year.
Dreamsaver wedding insurance automatically covers any ceremony that creates a contract of marriage that is legally enforceable, including civil partnerships and therefore, going forwards, it will be possible to cover a gay wedding with a Dreamsaver policy.
Dreamsaver wedding insurance has protected thousands of couples getting married and is available from £25 to give you peace of mind for your wedding or civil partnership. You can buy online for instant cover from www.weddinginsurance.co.uk .
Please Note: Policies must be purchased a MINIMUM of 14 days before the ceremony date.
Please Note: This Article refers to an historic version of Dreamsaver Wedding Insurance policy. Policy Terms, Conditions, Exclusions and Prices may have changed. Please see the latest policy wording for more details