Section 31 of the Marriage Act 1955 (1955 No 92) is amended by repealing subsection (3), and substituting the following subsections:
“(3) During the solemnisation of every such marriage each party must say to the other—“(a) ‘I AB, take you CD, to be my legal wife or husband’; or“(b) words to similar effect; or“(c) in the case of the solemnisation of a marriage in accordance with the rules and procedures of a specified body that require different words to be used as a marriage vow than those set out in paragraph (a), those words.“(4) The solemnisation of a marriage may not be conducted in accordance with subsection (3)(c) unless the specified body in question first—“(a) informs the Registrar of the words that are intended to be used in place of the words set out in subsection (3)(a) and satisfies the Registrar that the use of those words is in accordance with the rules and procedures of that body; and“(b) notifies the Registrar of the safeguards to be adopted by that body to ensure that—“(i) there is a clear identification of the parties to the marriage; and“(ii) that the parties freely consent to the marriage; and“(iii) the witnesses understand the ceremony and can verify the matters referred to in subparagraphs (i) and (ii).“(5) In this section, specified body means—“(a) a religious body described in the First Schedule or the subject of an exemption under section 32C:“(b) an organisation approved under section 9 as an organisation that may nominate marriage celebrants.”
“(3) During the solemnisation of every such marriage each party must say to the other—
“(a) ‘I AB, take you CD, to be my legal wife or husband’; or
‘I AB, take you CD, to be my legal wife or husband’
“(b) words to similar effect; or
“(c) in the case of the solemnisation of a marriage in accordance with the rules and procedures of a specified body that require different words to be used as a marriage vow than those set out in paragraph (a), those words.
“(4) The solemnisation of a marriage may not be conducted in accordance with subsection (3)(c) unless the specified body in question first—
“(a) informs the Registrar of the words that are intended to be used in place of the words set out in subsection (3)(a) and satisfies the Registrar that the use of those words is in accordance with the rules and procedures of that body; and
“(b) notifies the Registrar of the safeguards to be adopted by that body to ensure that—
“(i) there is a clear identification of the parties to the marriage; and
“(ii) that the parties freely consent to the marriage; and
“(iii) the witnesses understand the ceremony and can verify the matters referred to in subparagraphs (i) and (ii).
“(5) In this section, specified body means—
“(a) a religious body described in the First Schedule or the subject of an exemption under section 32C:
“(b) an organisation approved under section 9 as an organisation that may nominate marriage celebrants.”