Queen Elizabeth II gave her royal stamp of approval for gay marriages

Dec 10, 2013 15:40 GMT  ·  By
Same gender couples may officialy get married in the UK beginning with March
   Same gender couples may officialy get married in the UK beginning with March

2013 was a really good year for gay couples looking forward to getting married legally, and marked a milestone as legislative victories were seen in parts of America and now in the UK. Couples will be able to start getting married in England and Wales from March 29, 2014 even if initial talks stipulated late summer.

In order to legally get married, couples must formally announce their intention on March 13. The legislation enables gay couples to officially tie the knot in civil and religious ceremonies, or to convert their previous civil partnerships into legal unions in England and Wales.

Because of the arrangements of the Marriage Act being made faster than expected, gay couples can start getting married in spring instead of summer. For the weddings involving British consulates, armed forces bases overseas or military chapels, the ceremonies will be available from June.

After the same gender marriage bill received the royal asset, all three major parties accepted and supported the law making the process easier than expected. Gay rights campaign groups were delighted with the news, taking to all social media means to share the news.

Equalities Minister Maria Miller said that this legislation was “just another step in the evolution of marriage and I know that many couples up and down the country will be hugely excited that they can now plan for their big day and demonstrate their love and commitment to each other by getting married,” according to BBC.

America also had its share of gay marriage legislation success after rejecting the “Defense of Marriage Act” that prevented same gender couples from receiving federal benefits, and after six more states legalized the marriage.

The gay rights movements became a worldwide trend as it spread faster than any movement before and, with the UK legalizing the marriages as well, couples from other corners of the world may feel a bit more optimistic towards their future love life.