Marriage Act 1949

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Marriage Act 1949^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to consolidate certain enactments relating to the solemnization and registration of marriages in England with such corrections and improvements as may be authorised under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act, 1949.
Citation	12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 76
Territorial extent	England and Wales[b]
Dates
Royal assent	24 November 1949
Commencement	1 January 1950[c]
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Marriages (Pre-contract) Act 1548
Amended by	Registration Service Act 1953 Statute Law Revision Act 1953 Marriage Act 1949 (Amendment) Act 1954 Marriage Acts Amendment Act 1958 Marriage (Secretaries of Synagogues) Act 1959 Marriage (Enabling) Act 1960 Marriages (Wales and Monmouthshire) Act 1962 Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1975 Marriage (Scotland) Act 1977 Armed Forces Act 1981 Criminal Justice Act 1982 Marriage Act 1983 Pastoral Measure 1983 Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Act 1986 Marriage (Wales) Act 1986 Patronage (Benefices) Measure 1986 Family Law Reform Act 1987 Children Act 1989 Marriage (Registration of Buildings) Act 1990 Marriage Act 1994 City of London (Approved Premises for Marriage) Act 1996 Marriage Ceremony (Prescribed Words) Act 1996 Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 Armed Forces Act 2001 Civil Partnership Act 2004 Gender Recognition Act 2004 Church of England Marriage Measure 2008 Marriage (Wales) Act 2010 Ecclesiastical Fees (Amendment) Measure 2011 Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 Church of England Marriage (Amendment) Measure 2012 Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 Crime and Courts Act 2013 Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 Defence Reform Act 2014 Immigration Act 2014 Deregulation Act 2015 Immigration Act 2016 Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure 2018 Church Property Measure 2018 Church Representation and Ministers Measure 2019 Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 Victims and Prisoners Act 2024
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Marriage Act 1949 (12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 76) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom regulating marriages in England and Wales.

The act had prohibited solemnizing marriages during evenings and at night. Since the Marriage Act 1836 it had been forbidden to marry between the hours of six in the evening and eight in the morning. This prohibition was repealed^[1] on 1 October 2012.^[2][3]

The Marriage Act 1949 (12, 13 & 14 Geo. 6. c. 33) was the first act to be enacted under the Consolidation of Enactments (Procedure) Act 1949.^[4]

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