Coronavirus – Postponed Weddings and Cohabitation

On the 20^th March, my colleague Rosie Walker in our litigation department blogged on Coronavirus: Your Wedding Questions Answered. In that, she gave her top tips as to what to do if you need to postpone your wedding, or what to do if you are unsure as to what your legal rights are. At that time, I’m not sure that many of us would have envisioned that seven months on, we would still be in a position where there are restrictions on weddings – amongst of course many other things!

This is a topic I have been following closely, not just as a family lawyer, but also as someone whose wedding was due take place in September this year. My fiancé and I are one of the many, many couples, who now face uncertainty as to when we will get married.

So, at a time in my life when I should have been getting excited, I found myself under cloud of anxiety. However, around June, when it began to dawn on me just how long we might find ourselves living with restrictions, I had somewhat of an epiphany – the “big day” is just a day, and there is nothing quite like global pandemic to put things into perspective. So, we decided to postpone our wedding until next year.

This means that my partner and I will be living for another year as cohabitants, like many others I imagine. I also know of many couples who moved in together at the start of lockdown, and now have no intention of living separately.

In my experience, it still remains the case that the majority of people in Scotland are unaware as to the extent of the rights that are available to cohabitating partners on separation, and I previously blogged on this matter back in January 2018 Moving in with your partner? What you should know about cohabitant’s rights in Scotland.

If you would like to discuss how the law surrounding cohabitation might affect you, and what we can do to assist you, please do not hesitate our Family Law Team to discuss.

If you would like further information on the topic discussed in this blog, please contact Shona Young by email: syoung@gilsongray.co.uk or by phone: 0131 285 4801 / 07841 922 640. You can also view Shona’s profile by clicking here.

The information and opinions contained in this blog are for information only. They are not intended to constitute advice and should not be relied upon or considered as a replacement for advice. Before acting on any of the information contained in this blog, please seek specific advice from Gilson Gray.