It is a phrase used for centuries by couples pledging to be faithful to each other. But as Gary and Louise Lidington, from London, made final preparations for their wedding last weekend, they received an urgent telephone call from council registrars warning that they could not legally say the words “in sickness and in health”. Officials in Tower Hamlets, east London, said that the phrase, which is used around the world, was too “religious” for a civil ceremony. The couple were forced to rewrite their vows, which they chose because of their traditional ring, just hours before the wedding, which...
