All kinds of things have been circulating on the Internet and in the papers concerning upcoming alterations to the marriage service. Much has yet to be agreed. We do know a few things for certain.
Firstly, the legislation will provide for the name of the mother to be written on the registration documentation. Only the name of the father may currently appear.
Secondly, you may have read reports that couples will be responsible for taking a ‘marriage document’ to the local registrar within a very limited timeframe. The form and the timescale are neither agreed nor definite.
Thirdly, you may have read about new form of marriage register for churches in addition to the ‘marriage document’. The truth is that the form the church register will take has yet to be decided.
Fourthly, you may have read that all these changes will happen this December. There has been no decision taken about the timeframe.
Change is coming—but we will need to wait for a while until things are more definitely decided.