02/10/2025
After more than a decade of campaigning, the UK Government has finally publicly committed to the legal recognition of humanist marriages in England and Wales.
This is a monumental breakthrough, a victory we have been working towards for many decades, and it represents a fundamental acceptance of what we all know to be true: that humanist marriages are as valid, as meaningful, and as deserving of recognition as any other. This moment belongs to every one of us, and most importantly, to the thousands of couples whose ceremonies have so powerfully made the case for us. Thank you for that!
Although this is a huge step forward, we are not quite over the finish line. The Government has indicated that legal recognition will come as part of a wider package of marriage reform, which will involve a further consultation to launch in the new year.
We are calling on the Government to do what is simple, fair, and right: to use its existing powers to grant interim legal recognition immediately, just as it has done for other forms of marriage in the past. If, as we fear, this does not occur, then we will continue to engage.
For today, however, let’s celebrate this landmark achievement! It is a testament to our shared values and our collective perseverance and the day when couples can have a humanist wedding that is legally recognised in its own right is no longer a distant dream, but firmly on the horizon.
