England and Wales today mark a decade of same-sex couples being legally allowed to wed. March 29th, 2014 was the first day same-sex weddings could legally be performed after the British parliament changed the laws in July 2013.

Same-sex marriages began in Scotland on 16th December 2014, while those living in Northern Ireland had to wait until 11th February 2020.

Civil Partnerships had been introduced into the United Kingdom in December 2005, but nine years later full marriage equality was achieved.

In the first year after the laws were changed 4,850 same sex couples wed. In total 167,000 people have entered into unions with a person of the same sex.

Brighton and Hove is the area where the most same sex married couples in England and Wales reside.

Research show religious organisations are increasingly embracing same sex marriages

Research has also shown that a decade on from the laws being changed religious organisations are increasingly offering options for same-sex ceremonies. Professor Rebecca Probert of the University of Exeter Law School looked into the availability of religious same-sex weddings.

She found that most Christian same-sex couples across England and Wales now have the option of a church-based ceremony. Of the 175 registration districts for marriages, 84% have a religious based venue offering wedding ceremonies to Christian same-sex couples.

There were also venues offering weddings to same-sex couples of other religious beliefs including Liberal and Reform Jews, Quakers, Buddhists and Pagans.

OIP Staff