Wedding Season – When saying ‘I do’ can land you in hot water!

Wedding season is upon us! Many future husbands and wives will be making the final plans for their upcoming nuptials. This will probably involve reviewing their Wills is certainly not at the forefront of their minds.

However, unbeknownst to them, by tying the knot, they could potentially be putting themselves in a sticky situation with regards to any dealings with their future estate.

What if we already have Wills in place?

Unless you have already included specific provisions for your marriage to your partner in your most recent Wills, any Will that you have in place will automatically become invalid upon your marriage. If you do not execute new Wills after your marriage, your estate will be dealt with under the Intestacy Rules. This may mean that your estate is not necessarily divided up as you would have intended.

What if we have Wills in place which were made in anticipation of marriage?

If your Wills have a specific clause in place confirming that they are made in anticipation of your marriage to your new spouse, then they will remain valid and in force after your wedding. It is still worth reviewing your Wills following your marriage though. This is to ensure that they still accurately reflect your wishes and current circumstances. This is particularly the case if they were made a number of years before your marriage.

What if this is a second marriage ?

If this is a second marriage for you or your partner, you should review any Wills you have in place.

It is important to put provisions in place where you have children from a previous relationship. Upon marriage and without adequate provision to the contrary, your estate would pass to your new spouse. This would leave your children potentially unprovided for.

Your may also want to protect the interests of your new spouse to a share in your estate. Previously have made provision for everything to pass to your children.

Wedding Season Wills – What to do next?

So whilst the wedding planner is sorting the seating plan and best man is planning his speech, take a few moments to contact one of our specialist Private Client team on 01270 625478 to arrange to review your existing Wills to ensure that you and your new husband or wife really are setting yourselves up for a ‘happy ever after’. Alternatively you can visit our wills and probate services page here or complete the form linked here and we will call you back.