Marriages on Netflix's Love Is Blind UK are 100% legally binding, the streaming service has confirmed. Unlike other dating formats, contestants who say 'I do' enter into a legal and recognised marriage under UK law.
How the marriages work
Before the wedding, couples have downtime away from the cameras to decide if they truly want to marry. For a marriage to be legally binding, notice must be given before the ceremony, which must take place in approved premises and be conducted by an authorised officiant.
The show, which returned for a third season on August 19, sees singles go on blind dates before choosing whether to get engaged. Engaged couples meet face to face for the first time, then go on holiday, move in together, and plan a wedding just weeks away.
Former cast member's divorce
Last year's participant Sarover, who married Kal on the show, shared on Instagram this year that her divorce papers had come through and she was officially divorced. In a video, she said: "I'm 31, divorced and at peace. Let's see where this journey goes next."
Cast autonomy and support
Showrunner Naz Karim said: "What we impart from the start is the importance of cast autonomy and their agency in making the decisions. They choose their partner, whether or not to stay in the experiment and continue their relationship, and ultimately whether to say yes or no on the wedding day."
Karim added: "We empower them throughout and if we feel any couple or individual isn't fully ready before the wedding day, we give them an out. Before the wedding days, they all have downtime away from the cameras where they can really lean into that space and their support network to fully consider their decision."
Series editor David Cheesman said: "Anecdotally, we've found it's vital that you integrate your lives in the same location as soon as you leave your wedding day. It's so easy to go back to your old lives, but marriage and love take a lot of work and that work needs to be mutual. The relationship needs to be integrated from the off."
Love Is Blind UK can be streamed on Netflix.
