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Where can I get married?
You are entitled to be married in the church of the Church of England parish where one or other of you lives. If you are an active, worshipping member of another church congregation, it is usually possible to be married there. If you are unsure how to arrange a marriage, you need first to speak to your parish priest.
If the church you wish to be married in is not the local church of either of you, you will have to go on the electoral roll of that parish: you will be expected to attend the church services for six months before going on the roll. In certain circumstances you can apply for a Special Licence: see the Church of England web site for more details. (www.cofe.anglican.org). At the moment you can only have a Church of England wedding in a parish church or some other place of worship – normally one licensed by the Bishop. It is not normally possible to have your church wedding in other venues, for instance in a hotel.
How do I book the church?
As soon as you have decided you would like to get married in church, get in touch with your local parish priest to see whether the church is free on your preferred date.
Your priest or minister will probably wish to meet with you in person to discuss your plans.
What are the legal requirements?
You must have your banns read out in church for three Sundays during the three months before the wedding. Banns are an announcement of your intention to marry and 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. (In some cases there may be an alternative to banns – see the Church of England web site.)
If you are under the age of eighteen, you must have your parents’ consent to marry.
There are special guidelines on church marriage if you have been divorced: see the separate question on this issue.
How much will it cost?
The legal fees for a marriage 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 £180 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. Check with your parish priest about the cost and availability of these things.
Can I choose what kind of service I want?
You may be able to choose between a modern language service or one in more traditional language. Talk over the options with your parish priest. There are usually one or more readings from the Bible in the service – your parish priest can help you select the most appropriate. There will also be some prayers, which you may help to choose, or you may write your own. You may also decide to have someone other than the minister leading the prayers.
The minister will probably give a brief talk or sermon.
If you have friends or family members you would like to involve in the service, for example by doing a reading or playing a musical instrument, discuss this with your parish priest at an early stage of your planning.
What if one of us is divorced?
The Church of England teaches that marriage is for life. It also recognizes that, sadly, some marriages do fail and, if this should happen, it seeks to be available for all involved. The Church accepts that, in exceptional circumstances, a divorced person may marry again in church during the lifetime of a former spouse.
If you are thinking about asking to be married in church, you should discuss this with your local parish priest. Please do this well before choosing a date for your wedding.
Some priests may be willing to take such a marriage, others may not be prepared to do so, on grounds of conscience, and may not allow the use of their church either. The law of the land permits them this choice.
If your parish priest is willing to discuss the possibility of conducting your marriage, he/she will want to talk to you frankly about the past, your hopes for the future and your understanding of marriage. You and your intended spouse should therefore be prepared to consider some questions. You are advised to reflect beforehand on the issues they raise – and should be prepared to answer them honestly, (a form and explanatory statement, Marriage in church after divorce, may be downloaded from www.cofe.anglican.org/papers/mcad.pdf or ordered from Church House Bookshop, phone 020 7898 1300, www.chbookshop.co.uk). If it is not possible for your proposed marriage to take place in church, your priest may consider other alternatives with you, such as a Service of Prayer and Dedication after a civil ceremony.
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