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| Planning Your Church Wedding |
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| All marriages are governed by the law of the land. So for any marriage to be legal both of you must comply with certain conditions: |
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a) You must both be a minimum age of 16 years old and in England and Wales parental / guardian consent is needed for anyone to marry between the ages of 16 and 18 years. b) You must both be free to marry and have no existing legal marriage bond. c) There must be no close family relationship or blood ties such as brother and sister or father and daughter between you and your partner. d) The marriage must take place indoors in a registered building - that is a religious venue, register office or newly licensed private venue in the region. e) The marriage must take place before a registrar or authorised person. f) The ceremony must take place in the presence of two witnesses who must be able to speak and understand English. g) The ceremony must take place between the
hours of 8am and 6pm. |
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| The Anglican Church is the Church of England and you are therefore entitled to marry in the Parish church where one or other of you lives. It may be possible to marry at a church outside your parish of residence where you are either a regular worshipper or by Special Licence. It is not normally possible to have your religious wedding in other venues such as a hotel. Non religious venues are usually only licensed for civil ceremonies. |
| Once you have decided on a church wedding make an appointment to meet with the parish priest to discuss your plans and ensure your chosen date is available. |
| As well as the legal conditions already laid down you must also publicly announce your intention to marry. In the Anglican Church this is done by having banns read out in church for three Sundays during the three months before the wedding. This is often done over three consecutive Sundays but does not have to be. Banns are a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place. Banns need to be read in the parish where each of you lives as well as at the church in which you are to be married if that is another parish. |
| You may choose a modern language service or one with more traditional vows. The vows contain the wording that make marriage a legal contract and therefore cannot be changed. By saying your vows in church you both commit to the legal state of marriage with God and the congregation as your witnesses. The minister does not 'marry you'; you marry each other. The minister just directs you in this and then tells everyone that you have done it properly. After you have exchanged your vows, the bride, groom and two witnesses must sign the register. This is also a legal requirement and the minister will give you a copy of the marriage certificate. |
| Though the wording of the ceremony is fixed there are parts of the service that can be personalised such as in the choice of hymns, music and readings. You can also involve family members or friends in the service. A ring is given and received as a symbol of the everlasting nature of your marriage commitment and you can choose whether to have one or two rings. |
| The legal fees for a marriage in church cover the publication of the banns, certificate of banns (if necessary), the marriage service and a certificate of marriage. These fees are fixed centrally and will cost between £170 and £250. These fees do not cover any extras you may wish to have for the service, such as a choir, organist, bell-ringers, special lighting, fees for video recording and so on. Please check with your parish priest. |
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| Service of Prayer and Dedication |
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The Church of England teaches that marriage is for life and re-marriage in church is solely at the discretion of the parish priest. Normally if either of the couple has been previously divorced then the priest may offer a Service of Prayer and Dedication This religious service of dedication (often called a 'Marriage Blessing') is available for couples who have already undergone a civil marriage ceremony and who wish to dedicate to God their life together. Because it is not a marriage service banns may not be called nor any entry made into the Register of Marriages. Also, no exchange of rings will take place during this service. It is possible to include a prayer of blessing for the ring with the hand extended to the minister at this time. |
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| For more detailed information please visit the Anglican Church website at http://www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents/weddings/ |