Threat to Gretna's secret loves

For centuries Gretna Green has been the favoured destination of young lovers, forced to run away from disapproving parents to tie the knot.

But anyone planning to elope there for a secret wedding will now have to act quickly. The Scottish Executive has announced plans to introduce a law which will mean that a list of every forthcoming marriage in the country will be displayed on the internet.

The measure is controversial as it could deter celebrities from choosing romantic, and often secretive, Scottish locations to exchange their vows. At present a couple need only post their names and date of the marriage on a noticeboard inside or outside a registration office 14 days before their wedding date. This allows celebrities to evade unwanted attention.

For example, no residents on Skye batted an eyelid at the wedding banns for British actress Jennifer Ehle and American writer Michael Ryan. Similarly, had the press not been tipped off, it is unlikely anyone in the Highland town of Dornoch would have paid much attention, four years ago, to the fourth names on a list of intended marriages: Guy Stuart Ritchie and Madonna Louise Ciccone.

'Scotland has become a popular place for people from overseas to be married,' said the deputy Public Services Minister, Tavish Scott. 'Putting up a couple's names and the date of the marriage at a local registration office is no longer a very good way of drawing the attention of someone who might have an interest in the forthcoming wedding but who would not otherwise know about it. An all-Scotland list would enable anyone with internet access to learn of a proposed marriage and to offer a legal objection if they have good reason.'

Other proposals in the overhaul of the system include the creation of a new registration district covering the waters around Scotland. This would enable couples to marry on a boat while it is en route. At present a vessel has to be stationary for a marriage to be solemnised.

There are also plans to introduce the e-registration of births and deaths. The current system involves a face-to-face interview.

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