Can I make a Will before I get married?
Yes. It is worth doing now. In England & Wales getting married or forming a civil partnership cancels any Will you made before, unless the Will says it was made expecting to marry that particular person. Make your Will with that clause and it survives the wedding, so you are covered now and afterwards. Until you marry, your partner inherits nothing from you without a Will.
Covered now and after the wedding
- The questionnaire asks if you are getting married soon. Say yes and give your partner’s full name. We add the clause so the wedding does not cancel your Will.
- The first draft is emailed straight after payment. The final Will is issued once it has passed ClearLegacy’s checks, usually within 24 hours.
- Sign it before the wedding with two witnesses who do not inherit. No need to redo it afterwards.
£69 for a Single Will · fixed fee · England & Wales · one free update included
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Why the wedding matters to your Will
Under the Wills Act 1837 a marriage or civil partnership automatically revokes a Will made earlier. People are often caught out by this: they make a Will when they buy a home together or have a baby. They marry a year later and their Will quietly stops existing. If they then die without making a new one, the intestacy rules decide who inherits instead.
The exception is a Will made in contemplation of marriage to a named person. If it is clear from the Will that you expected to marry that person and did not want the marriage to cancel the Will, the wedding leaves it intact.
Before the wedding: your partner gets nothing without a Will
- An unmarried partner has no automatic right to inherit, however long you have lived together. “Common law marriage” does not exist in England & Wales.
- If you own a home as tenants in common, your share passes under your Will or under the intestacy rules, not to your partner by default.
- Your partner could claim against your estate through the courts, but that is slow, costly and uncertain.
A Will made now with the marriage clause fixes both problems at once: your partner is provided for straight away and nothing changes on the day.
How to do it
- In the questionnaire, choose your current status (single or cohabiting), then answer yes to “Are you getting married or entering a civil partnership soon?”
- Give your partner’s full name. The clause has to name them. The wedding date is optional.
- Sign the Will with two witnesses who do not inherit. It is valid from that moment.
- If the wedding does not go ahead, the Will still stands. You may want to change it. One free update is included.
Priya and Tom are getting married in June and bought a flat together last year as tenants in common. They each make a Mirror Will now, naming each other with the marriage clause and leaving everything to each other, then to their nieces. They sign in March. In June they marry and their Wills carry on without any change.
After the wedding and if it ever ends
If you married without a Will made in contemplation of that marriage, see recently married: marriage cancels your Will. Divorce or dissolution works differently: it does not cancel the whole Will, but your former husband, wife or civil partner is treated as if they had died before you, so any gift to them or appointment of them fails.
- Answer the questionsAbout 15 minutes. Your answers save as you go.
- Draft emailed straight awayRead it through. Reply if anything needs changing; one free update is included.
- Final Will issuedOnce it has passed ClearLegacy’s checks, usually within 24 hours.
- Sign with two witnessesNot beneficiaries or their spouses. Clear instructions come with the Will.
Sources
- Wills Act 1837, section 18 (marriage revokes a Will; exception for a Will made in contemplation of marriage to a particular person) — legislation.gov.uk
- Wills Act 1837, section 18B (the same rules for civil partnership) and sections 18A and 18C (effect of divorce and dissolution) — legislation.gov.uk
- Administration of Estates Act 1925, section 46 (intestacy: no entitlement for an unmarried partner) — legislation.gov.uk
- Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975, section 1(1)(ba) (claims by a cohabitant) — legislation.gov.uk
- GOV.UK — Make a Will
- Reviewed by
- Sat Lally, founder, ClearLegacy
- Last reviewed
- October 2026
- Next review
- April 2027
- Jurisdiction
- England & Wales
Frequently asked questions
Does getting married cancel my Will?
Yes. In England and Wales a marriage or civil partnership revokes any Will made before it, unless the Will was made expecting to marry that particular person and says it should not be revoked by the marriage.
Can I make a Will now that will still be valid after the wedding?
Yes. Make it in contemplation of your marriage to your named partner. ClearLegacy asks whether you are getting married soon; if you say yes and give your partner's full name, the clause is added and the Will survives the wedding.
What happens if the wedding is called off?
The Will still stands and remains valid. You may want to change who inherits. One free update is included after payment.
Does my fiancé or fiancée inherit if I die without a Will?
No. An unmarried partner has no automatic right to inherit under the intestacy rules in England and Wales, however long you have been together. They could make a claim through the courts, but a Will is far simpler and certain.
Make your Will before the wedding
Covered now, still valid after you marry. Draft by email straight after payment. England & Wales.
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