Pink Wedding Days | Gay Marriage and Civil Partnerships Blog

Finally! The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have just announced (26th June 2014) that couples will be able to convert their civil partnerships to marriage from December 10th. This is fantastic news for those who have been waiting to hear a date since March. There isn't much information available yet about how it'll be done, but, as we said previously , there's nothing to suggest it'll be anything too complicated. Here's hoping it's a few postal forms and a small fee. The Government had faced criticism from both same-sex couples and gay rights groups for not setting a date earlier. Although, they had always hinted that it was likely to be close to the end of 2014. Once we hear more, we'll keep you updated. Congratulations to all those who will converting in December :)

On June 22nd 2014, The Guardian reported that a second Anglican priest has defied the Church to marry his same-sex partner. The Rev. Andrew Cain who is currently based in West Hampstead, London, was married on Saturday. It puts the Church of England (COE) in a difficult position. Ever since same-sex marriage became legal in March 2014, the Church has been stuck between it's more liberal congregations and priests, and the more staunch traditionalists from its overseas branches and within the Synod (the church's law-making body). The present Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby , is trying to engage all sides to find a compromise, but it won't be easy, and it might not be enough to avoid a split in the Church. Rev. Cain isn't the first priest to marry a same-sex partner, however. The Church's first was Canon Jeremy Pemberton, who has since been dismissed from his post in the diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. Employed on a fixed-term contract, Canon Pemberto...

A prenuptial agreement is an arrangement made between a couple in which individual assets can be protected in the event that the marriage should fail. Couples are now meeting and marrying later; people enter into relationships with their own finances, their own properties, portfolios or businesses. In previous generations people began married life having been gifted their possessions from family and friends. Today however, we're more financially independent and we bring our own pots to the marriage table. If marriage is the Game of Life, then divorce, by comparison, can descend into a hungry-hippo grab for assets. Nobody wants to believe that a pre-nup is necessary but, when the worst happens, it may be the only thing that makes a bad situation bearable. A pre-nup is about recognising the inherent risk of marriage (unromantic as that may sound) rather than endorsing that risk by failing to protect your interests. Nobody goes on holiday expecting to be hit by a bus, but tha...

It's a question that is well broached by both opposite and same-sex couples. For some, putting a restriction on children would be unthinkable. For other couples however, it is the only workable option for having a ceremony that isn't interrupted by shouts, cries or giggles. The chances are that if you choose the latter option, you might alienate a few of your guests. As someone without children, I think the request is entirely reasonable. I've sat through ceremonies where screaming babies have distracted from the atmosphere and some like to cry in chorus. Ceremonies are not very child friendly anyway. In fact (dare I say it as a wedding blogger?) they're a bit dull in parts. Naturally, children will get bored. For them, the best part of the day is the evening reception where they can run around and play. Children will often help to create a lively, party atmosphere so utilise their energy later on. Perhaps, you might not want to blanket ban the under-18s. Maybe ...

This article was updated in June 2015 Gay marriage may be relatively new here in the UK, but civil partnerships have been around since 2005.  It means that some couples will be celebrating a decade as civil partners in 2015. And ten is a nice round number, isn't it?  Round enough to celebrate with more than just champagne, chocolates or a weekend away. In fact, a decade together is the perfect opportunity for a vow renewal. Of course, in a civil partnership there aren't actually any vows. Couples can exchange a few words (many do), but there's no legal requirement. It doesn't matter, however, whether you had a wedding or a civil partnership, the sentiment is still the same and so, too, are the reasons behind having a vow renewal: celebrating and reaffirming the commitment you both made to your relationship.  Equally, in this last year, couples can now convert their civil partnership into marriage and for many that's something worth making an occ...

Three months on from the legalisation of gay marriage in England and Wales , and we're still seeing the effects brought about by the law change. From June 3rd 2014, British consulates can perform same-sex marriages in certain overseas territories. Providing that: Gay marriage is prohibited by the host government The host state has agreed to allow the consulate to perform the ceremony At least one member of the couple is a British citizen. The ceremony takes place on the property of the consulate The marriage will NOT be recognised by the host country, but it will be recognised by other governments who have legalised same-sex marriage within their own borders. To make this clearer, Debbie and Donna live in Australia,  but neither  of them are British citizens so they  cannot be married in the consulate. Debbie and Donna live in Hong Kong, one is a British citizen but they can't get married because the H...

If you're looking to marry abroad, then our latest post for Pink Lobster Dating might be of interest. You can find it here  and you don't even need to be a lesbian to read it as the same rules on weddings apply to all couples: gay, lesbian or straight (in countries where same-sex marriage is legal). The one thing that we really wanted to get across in the post was RESEARCH . Don't assume that marrying in an EU country will be any easier than marrying in Argentina (it isn't). There are all kinds of different issues about residency and if you get them wrong, they could stop you from having a ceremony at all. Make sure you know the legal requirements inside out and back-to-front. Use local contacts too, as these are invaluable resources who will have up-to-date knowledge on any changes or exceptions that might apply to you or your partner. Not that an overseas wedding isn't worth the effort. It's an adventure: something different, something more exotic than a w...

Technically speaking, no . Weddings and civil partnerships can only be legally performed in venues that have been approved for use by the local council. Whether it's in a church, hotel, registry office or hall - you can't be married there without prior authorization. If you're looking to authorise a venue for weddings then find out how here You can't apply for a license to hold a wedding in a field or on a beach either. In fact, if you stuck to the rules then you'd probably find yourself with a pretty limited scope of venues. There is a way around it, however. All you have to do is separate the legal element of the wedding or civil partnership from the actual ceremony.  So, either on the morning of your wedding, or a few days before, you can go to a registry office with your witnesses and before a registrar complete the legal side of things. There's no need for rings or formal outfits. You're literally just getting the marriage certificate. You...

Gay marriage has been legal in England and Wales now for just over 2 months. It's not that time has flown by, so much as it's strapped itself to an F-16 and shredded every calendar on its fly past.  It's too early to see the official numbers, but we can probably assume that they'll be high, and will probably peak again towards the end of the year when couples start converting their civil partnerships to marriages. For most people reading this post, there's probably very little to learn from gay marriage. By that, I mean that we already know that gay marriage doesn't undermine opposite-sex marriage, that it won't lead to the end of the world; that it won't see men being able to marry horses or women getting married to owls or whatever other ridiculous scenario the frightened detractors like to suggest. We already know that two people making a commitment to one another is a special thing regardless of gender. We know that gay marriage was the...

Recently, we were contacted by a local company about one of their product and we thought we'd pass it on to our followers. Given the recent economic dip, there's never been a better time to support local businesses and this company are based in the same town that we are. In fact, they're just up the road.  So, if you've been following our Twitter and Facebook feeds, then you might have noticed that we've been mentioning The Really English Card Company.  They design and hand draw greetings cards and then sell them to members of the public directly or via businesses or galleries.  They're also willing to apply their talent to anything specific that you might have a need for: wedding or civil partnership invitations for example. They've got some fantastic designs, and you can find their website here It's reminded us of how many small, independent businesses there are in the local area that could help a wedding or civil partnership stand out from...