The names of the mothers of the bride and groom are to be added to marriage certificates in England and Wales for the first time.
Previously only the father's name was put on the certificate. The law change will bring England and Wales in line with the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland and Scotland, where mothers' names are already included.
Lawmakers made the rule change to the existing law, which was regarded as sexist, discriminatory and outdated. The old law harks back to 1837, a time when children, and daughters in particular, were regarded as the property of the father and so she could only be married with his consent. This gave fathers huge power and was the reason only their names were included on the marriage certificate.
The UK Home Office said the move would "correct a historic anomaly".
On top of this change, all marriage records will now be recorded and stored electronically. Previously marriages were recorded by a couple signing a record book which was stored in churches and registry offices.
Kevin Foster, a UK government minister, said:
"These changes bring the registration process into the 21st century and means no parent will be missing on their child's wedding day."
The Church of England also welcomed the move.
The Reverend Dr. Malcolm Brown, director of mission and public affairs for the Church of England, endorsed the change, saying:
"We are very pleased that the marriage registration system can now include the names of mothers as well as fathers on registers but we believe the new system changes as little as possible in terms of the couple's experience of their church wedding and that the clergy will find the new regulations become second nature very quickly."
The law change received cross-party support from all UK political parties represented in parliament.
All of the law changes, the biggest since the Marriage Act of 1837, will also apply to same-sex couples who are allowed to marry in Scotland, England and Wales, but not Northern Ireland.
[h/t: BBC]
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