Location, location, location: The future of weddings law In Ireland And England

Despite its practical importance to upwards of 40,000 people annually, the framework governing weddings law in Ireland has received minimal academic attention or critique. This article seeks to address this gap in the literature, placing a particular focus on the rules governing wedding venues. In this effort, it draws on the Law Commission for England and Wales’ comprehensive Getting Married: A Consultation Paper on Weddings Law published in September 2020. Comparing the framework adopted in Ireland pursuant to the Civil Registration Act 2004 (as amended) with that provisionally proposed by the Law Commission for England and Wales, the article investigates whether certain proposals advanced by the Commission may also serve to cure weaknesses identified in the Irish scheme. The article highlights too how the Irish experience, specifically the anomalies which have emerged in law and practice in Ireland, may present a cautionary tale for those across the Irish Sea who wish to adopt a more conservative approach to its reform of the laws governing wedding venues than that presented by the Law Commission.