Couples who registered a civil partnership in England and Wales have been able convert this to marriage since 10 December 2014. Couples can hold a ceremony or have a simple conversion at a register office and obtain a marriage certificate which is backdated to the date of the civil partnership. No involvement from lawyers is required. We understand why many couples wish to convert, although the legal protections marriage provides are the same as civil partnerships and therefore the benefit in converting is personal rather than legal.