Weddings are big news and big business. They were changed forever by the 1994 Marriage Act which licenced approved premises for civil ceremonies in England and Wales - an act which was both a symptom and a source of wider underlying changes in society and in intimate relationships. Given its ubiquity and social importance though, the wedding remains relatively unexplored by academics. This book is a new study which considers the changing social and cultural significance of the wedding in Britain. It focuses upon a number of issues including the commercialization of the event, the dynamics of heterosexual partnerships, and the influence of romance. The new commercial wedding is further explored in relation to broader socio-structural transformations and the modernization of marriage law. This book draws upon the experiences of marrying couples as well as media evidence.