In general, when you get married or re-married, any Will you already have is automatically cancelled, even if the person you are marrying is the person you have left everything to in your current Will, and even if their name isn’t going to change after the wedding.

The only exception to this is where a Will is written specifically taking account of the forthcoming marriage.  In this case, instead of the usual wording at the beginning, it will state “this Will is made in contemplation of my forthcoming marriage to my fiancé(e) ............... and shall not be revoked by such marriage taking place”.  This means that you can make your Will before the big day as, with all the fuss which tends to surround a wedding, this essential task might well be forgotten.  However, you should only make this sort of Will if you have a fixed date for the wedding.   If you have a Will like this and several years later you die without ever actually getting married, there is the risk that someone may contest the Will on the basis that you only wished it to have effect if you had been married to your fiancé(e). 

If you have a question, or need advice about a new or current Will, write to me now at timesquestions@anvoner.co.uk