Savills Portugal

In September the Law Commission plans to publish its consultation paper with provisional proposals for the reform of the Marriage Act. Currently the main law which governs marriage dates back to 1836 and prevents couples in England from marrying outdoors or even in the garden of a licensed venue unless it's under a fixed permanent structure.

The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated the marriage plans of many couples whose big day was to take place this year as well as putting huge financial pressure on wedding venue operators of all scales.

For those providing wedding venues there is considerable optimism that one of the recommendations to be made by the Law Commission will allow marriage ceremonies to take place in the open air, which is already permitted in Scotland.

This would present considerable opportunities for existing venues to broaden their offering and allow for the creation of new styles of outdoor venue, including increasingly popular woodland weddings. For many couples, particularly while social distancing is mandatory for groups this reform could offer the perfect solution.

An increasing number of couples are choosing to have smaller, more low-key weddings further afield, often referred to as destination weddings. For rural venues with either on site accommodation or with some in close proximity there is huge potential to tap into the desire for plenty of outside space even before any reforms to the existing Marriage Act are introduced.

However, the most immediate challenge faced by the sector is how to facilitate ceremonies booked in for next year along with the backlog from this year created by the closure of venues and social distancing restrictions.

Venue operators are currently thinking about creative ways to host weddings in order to kick-start the industry to enable couples to have their big day. And any future reforms relating to where couples can be married will provide new opportunities for this important industry, which according to website hitched.co.uk is worth £10 billion per year.

Thinking of going into the wedding business? Here's our selection of the best venues and potential venues currently on the market.