Any changes made to the Church in Wales's legal situations must be made via an Act of Parliament, as the Senedd has no jurisdiction over ecclesiastical law or marriage law because those are reserved matters.

[4] The Act allowed couples to use a parent's residency or regular attendance in the specific Church as a valid condition to be married in that parish; or for the church to have been the place where one of the parties to the marriage had been baptised or confirmed; or for the church to have been where a parent or grandparent of one of the parties to the marriage had been married.

[6] In the House of Commons, the bill was sponsored by the Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament, Alun Michael.

[4] The act received Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth II on 18 March 2010,[6] before the dissolution of Parliament.

[1] The Marriage (Wales) Act 2010 was viewed by academics as being an example of a disestablished church enjoying the privileges of establishment but without the legal ability to self-regulate itself and requiring primary legislation to make desired changes.