UK Gay Weddings 2014

On 29^th March the first same-sex marriages will take place in England and Wales.  Any couple wishing to marry on that date will need to have given formal notice of their intention to marry by 13^th March.

Same-sex couples in Scotland will be able to marry in October 2014.
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To mark the occasion, greeting card company TheDogsDoodahs.com has today issued a ‘Save the Date’ card for 29^th March to the press, along with a world map highlighting global differences in attitudes to homosexual relationships and marriage.

The United Kingdom becomes the 16^th country to allow same-sex marriages, while some other countries recognise same-sex relationships in law although they do not have the status of marriage.

By contrast, there are still many countries (highlighted in green and black) where homosexuality is punished by imprisonment and even death.
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  * Couples in civil partnerships will be able to convert to marriages if they wish.  However, the Government is still making the changes necessary to allow this so it is anticipated this will not be possible until the end of 2014.
  * The Netherlands was the first country to extend marriage laws to include same-sex couples.  Four couples were married at Amsterdam’s City Hall by mayor of Amsterdam Job Cohen at midnight on 1^st April 2001, when the bill came into effect.
  * Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir and her partner become one of the first married same-sex couples in Iceland when the country legalised same-sex marriage in 2010.
  * Denmark was the first country to recognise same-sex relationships in law in 1989, but it wasn’t until 2012 that same-sex marriage was legalised.