Your Wedding
Congratulations on your engagement. We are delighted that you have chosen to hold your wedding ceremony at one of our churches. This leaflet explains what you can expect to happen from this point forward. You can find out much more information from the Church of England website Your Church Wedding here: https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding
The key points
Getting married this church: To be married in one of the churches in this benefice, you and/or your partner will need a qualifying connection. This means you have some connection with the church. There are lots of ways you can have a qualifying connection to a church, and we are happy to talk this through with you.
Wedding preparation and planning: Once a year, we offer an informal meeting for all couples getting married that year. This is optional but it is a good chance to meet other couples as well as meet one of our organists, our verger and churchwarden, and the Rector. All these people will be involved in planning your wedding.
Banns: It is a legal requirement to read the Banns of marriage (announcement of your intention to marry) in the church where you are to be married, and in the parish where you live (if this is different to the parish where you are to marry).
The countdown to your wedding
Initial meeting: Once we have checked your qualifying connection, we will arrange an initial meeting. At the meeting, we will check your identity, nationality and current address. You will need to provide some documents to support these checks. Don’t worry, we will confirm what you need to bring with you when we book the meeting.
We will confirm the date of your wedding and put this in our church diary.
We will also have a chance to talk about your hopes and dreams for your special day. This initial meeting is just the start of a conversation. Over the following months, we will stay in touch to help plan your day through personal meetings, email or telephone.
6 months before: We will contact you to arrange the dates to read your Banns and to check that any Banns needing to be read in another parish have been arranged
3 months before: In the 3 months before your wedding, we will read your Banns on 3 Sundays during the main service at the church where you are to be married.
2 weeks before: We will send you a final invoice and details of how to settle that invoice. We will also draft your Marriage Document. This is the legal document that will form the basis of your Marriage Licence.
1 week before: We will arrange a wedding rehearsal. This is your chance to ‘walk through’ the key moments of the day, to finalise any last minute details, arrange access to decorate the church if you wish, and ask any questions. We will ask you to check the Marriage Document
1 day before: You will be able decorate the church with flowers and candles etc.
On the day: We ask the groom and ushers to arrive one hour before the service is due to start. We ask that all guests are seated 15 minutes before the service is due to start.
The Rector will meet your photographer (if you have one) and will explain the running order of the service and suggest the best position for your photographer to capture every moment.
Children are more than welcome in all our churches, and you will find toys and books to keep them entertained.
Your wedding service will last between 45 – 60 minutes.
Afterwards
Churches no longer issues your Marriage License. After your wedding, we will send the Marriage Document to the relevant Registry Office. You can then contact the office and obtain your license.
Please allow 14-28 days.