London, Sep 30 (IANS) Couples in England and Wales will be able to marry at any chosen time of the day or night from Monday, following the lifting of a 176-year-old ban.
The round-the-clock ceremonies follow the lifting of the ban on getting hitched outside the hours of 8.00 a.m.-6.00 p.m., Daily Mail reported Sunday.
One of the first venues to embrace the Las Vegas-style weddings will be Blackpool Tower where couples can tie the knot at sunrise, midnight or even 3 a.m.
Local authorities and churches will not be forced to conduct marriages outside the traditional hours and at least 15 days advance notice will also still be required.
The venues for civil partnerships are also expected to conduct day and night weddings.
Laws, imposing time limits on marriage solemnisation date back to 1836, were introduced to prevent clandestine marriages, which were deemed to be a particular problem in society.
The change was brought in by the British home office following a cross-government survey, Your Freedom, which gave the public the chance to suggest which unnecessary laws should be repealed.
