Campaigners for same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland are planning legal action over government delays in converting civil partnerships into marriages.

With the first weddings expected around Valentine’s Day this coming February, more than 1,200 gay couples already in partnerships have discovered bureaucratic barriers to them tying the knot. Civil partnerships cannot be dissolved within their first two years in Northern Ireland and can only subsequently end on the grounds of separation, unreasonable behaviour or desertion.

When same-sex marriages were introduced in England and Wales in 2014, the legislation provided an automatic route for those already in civil partnerships to convert their union into a marriage. A similar procedure has not yet been organised by the government’s Northern Ireland Office.

Westminster passed the Northern Ireland Executive Formation Act in October, formally decriminalising abortion and legislating for same-sex marriage in the region. The Love Equality campaign said that a same-sex couple in a civil partnership, two Christian couples and a Christian minister will bring the legal challenge. Amanda McGurk entered a civil partnership with Cara McCann earlier this year before the law changed and was devastated to learn she could miss out on her dream wedding. Read more via the Guardian