Same-sex weddings set to begin in Scotland this week
Scotland’s first new same-sex weddings will commence on Wednesday, marking same-sex marriage across the entirety of Great Britain.
The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act, which was overwhelmingly passed by Holyrood in February, finally came into effect earlier this month.
Scotland enforces a 15-day notice period for all weddings, meaning the first ‘new’ same-sex weddings are set to take place this Wednesday, December 31.
17 couples are reportedly lined up to marry on the first day, with a number set to marry at one minute past midnight, just as the law takes effect.
The wave of new weddings will coincide with the country’s Hogmanay celebrations on New Year’s Eve – and the country’s political leaders including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon are expected to pay tribute to equality.
Ms Sturgeon is set to attend the midnight wedding of Gerrie and Susan Douglas-Scott, while Minister Marco Biagi – who enacted the legislation – will attend the wedding of Malcolm Brown and Joe Schofield.
Couples already in Scottish civil partnerships were given the chance to convert to marriages earlier this month, as they were able to skip the notice period entirely.
The move will mark the arrival of same-sex marriage across the entirety of the isle of Great Britain – consisting of England, Scotland and Wales.
Parts of the United Kingdom will still be without marriage equality, however, as the DUP has repeatedly blocked efforts to introduce same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland.
The crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man – which are regulated autonomously from the UK – are also yet to introduce same-sex marriage.
