Should you say ‘I do’ to a pre-nup?

‘I think pre-nups are brilliant,’ Catherine Zeta Jones told Vanity Fair back in 2000, shortly after marrying Hollywood royalty Michael Douglas. ‘If I were marrying someone of lesser fortune who was 25 years younger, I’d be doing exactly the same thing. Why should Michael be in a position where half of his fortune, which he’s worked bloody hard for, lands in someone else’s lap?’

Unfortunately for some brides, grooms and their families, such pragmatism is rare. After all, when you’re in the heat of wedding planning, as many are at this time of year, the thought of it all ending in court is hardly romantic.

Yet it’s clear there’s a demand for pre-nuptial agreements (PNAs), designed to provide a level of certainty around financial arrangements if things go wrong. These agreements also establish some protection of assets, inheritance and existing family commitments, such as children from previous marriages.