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The names of both parents, not just the father, will now be included on marriage certificates for the first time across England and Wales, The Independent reports.

Until now, only the names of the fathers of the bride and groom needed to be included on the official documentation as a record of the ceremony. Now mothers can be added too.

The change - which begins on Tuesday - follows the amendment of the Marriage Act and the introduction of a new electronic registration system by the Home Office.

The Home Office said the move to have mothers’ names on the certificate will “correct a historic anomaly” by allowing the names of both parents to be recorded.

A spokesperson said: "These regulations to amend the Marriage Act mark the biggest changes to the marriage registration system since 1837.”

This brings England and Wales into line with the rest of the UK where couples are already asked to give the names of both parents on marriage or civil partnership documentation.

As well as adding the mother’s name, the 2021 overhaul will see a move to use an electronic record-keeping system, rather than paper.

Marriages are currently registered by the couple signing a register book, which is held at the local registry office, or at religious premises registered for marriage such as a church or chapel.

The new system goes live on 4 May and will see a single register, rather than the thousands - there are estimated to be over 80,000 - at locations around the country.

The government says that this will save time, money and be more secure, it will also eliminate the need for data to be extracted from the original hard copies in future.