Weddings and Wills: Contemplating Marriage Week UK 2018

UK Marriage Week is upon us (7th-14th February 2018). The event is coordinated by the Marriage Foundation – a national champion for marriage, supported by charities and individuals who believe that healthy marriages bring benefits for all of society and should be encouraged and supported. The theme for Marriage Week 2018 is “Think Ahead” and focuses on encouraging couples to plan their future together with the #plan5for5 campaign. This might involve contemplating your shared values, finances, that long-haul trip you have always wanted to take… or perhaps making your wills.

During this week you and your spouse may wish to consider whether you need to make or review your wills. This would be prudent because your wedding may have had an impact on wills you have previously made, whether this was intended or not.

I’m already married

Did you know that the Wills Act 1837 states, with few exceptions, that when you marry or enter into a civil partnership, this automatically revokes any wills that you or your spouse/partner have made before your union? Unless one of the exceptions applies (and we will discuss one of these below) you should consider making a new will now as, without a will, you would be intestate and any wishes you have may not be carried out. You should not assume that your spouse/partner will receive everything in your estate anyway since this depends on a number of factors.

I’m planning on getting married

Making a will “in contemplation of marriage” is an exception to this rule. This means that if you expect to marry a certain named person at the time the will is executed, and you intend your will not to be revoked by your future marriage to that person, then it will not be revoked when you eventually do marry. A clause to this effect should be written into your will.

I’ve been married for a long time

You may have made wills with your spouse/partner a number of years ago. After you have been married or in a civil partnership for a long time it is often desirable, but not essential, to redraft your wills, in order to reflect your current circumstances and take into account changes in the law. We recommend that our clients review their wills at least every 3-5 years so they can check whether their wishes are still the same. Why not use Marriage Week 2018 to talk with your spouse/partner about your wills and see if there are any changes you need to make?

Contact us to receive a quotation for our will drafting services.

Article Disclaimer

This article is for general information only and does not constitute specific advice. You should not rely on the information in this article. Fiona Bruce Solicitors recommends that you seek our specific advice if you wish to rely on the any part of this article. Whilst Fiona Bruce Solicitors makes every effort to ensure that the article is accurate, Fiona Bruce Solicitors excludes all liability for claim, loss, demands or damages of any kind whatsoever (whether such claims, loss, demands or damages were foreseeable, known or otherwise) arising out of or in connection with the use of this article or any other information contained on this website. Any information provided only applies to England and Wales.