Congratulations on your engagement. We are delighted that you are thinking of getting married in church.
If you live in the Parish or attend St Mary’s regularly, you are entitled to be married here. You can also marry at St Mary’s if you can show a real connection with the parish. Please see the Church of England website for further details.
People choose a church wedding for a whole range of reasons, perhaps because of tradition or the attractive building. However the most important reason for getting married in church is that you will be making your wedding vows in the sight of God and asking God to be part of the whole of your married life together.
Before a wedding can take place there are various legal formalities to be completed and there must be time for marriage preparation. This will normally involve the Rector meeting with you and then some further preparation sessions to discuss the very important step that you will be taking.
If you or your partner have been married before (in a church or Register Office) or if one of you is not a British citizen, there are additional legal issues which will need to be discussed and forms to be completed.
To avoid disappointment and expense, please don’t book your reception venue until the Rector has confirmed that all is in order legally and that the church is available for your preferred date and time.
Most marriages in the Church of England are conducted after the reading of Banns. You can download a Banns Application Form here.
You may find this Church of England website useful for choosing hymns, readings and music to personalise your wedding. For details of church fees please click Wedding Fees.
If you are not getting married at St Mary’s but need your Banns read here, please email Sarah Coggins.
You can make a preliminary enquiry by using this form (please scroll down to complete and submit the form):