
Thinking about getting married? This page gives a brief introduction to the celebration of Marriage at St Mary’s Church, and answers the following questions:
- What is marriage about?
- Who can get married at St Mary’s?
- What if my fiancé(e) is not a member of the Church of England?
- What if either of us has been married before?
- How much does it cost?
- What do we do now?
What is marriage about?
"Holy Matrimony is Christian marriage in which the man and the woman, entering a life-long union, take their vows before God and seek his grace and blessing to fulfil them."
(The Revised Catechism of the Church of England)
Christian marriage is a participation in the faithful and creative love of God. In it, God’s creative power is made present in the world. It is both a wonderful and a very serious commitment.
Who can get married at St Mary’s?
Anybody over the age of 16 who is free to marry (although the consent of the parents or guardian is required for those under 18) and lives within the geographical parish of St Mary’s can be married here.
If you don’t live in the parish, you can also celebrate your marriage at St May’s if you can show that one of you:
- Has at any time lived in the parish for at least six months.
- Was baptized (Christened) here.
- Was prepared for confirmation here.
- Has, at any time, regularly attended services at St Mary’s for period of at least 6 months.
- If, since you were born, one of your parents has lived in the parish of at least 6 months, or regularly attended services at St Mary’s for a period of at least 6 months.
- Or if one of your parents or grandparents was married in the parish.
What if my fiancé(e) is not a member of the Church of England?
You do not have to be a member of the Church of England in order to be eligible for marriage at St Mary’s. If either of you isn’t a Christian, this is something the two of you will want to discuss, to see whether you are both comfortable celebrating your marriage in church.
What if either of us has been married before?
If one of you has been widowed, there is no impediment to marrying again.
The vows of marriage are, of course, intended to be lifelong, and if one, or both of you has been divorced, it will not be possible to celebrate your marriage at St Mary’s. Where one or both of you has been divorced, you may with to explore the possibility of coming to St Mary’s for a blessing after a civil wedding.
How much does it cost?
The compulsory costs included the legal fee (set by the Church of England) which covers the costs of calling your banns, administration and certain other costs. There are also optional extras, such as the cost of an organist, and extra copies of the marriage certificate. A full breakdown of current fees can be provided on request. Please note that your marriage certificate will not be provided by us but is available from: https://www.gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate.
What do we do now?
To book your wedding at St Mary’s, you will need to contact Fr Adam. To make the booking, you’ll need to fill in a form, provide proof of your qualifying connection to be married at St Mary’s, and both provide proof that you’re British or from the EAA, preferably a passport (If either of you are from outside the EAA then you will require a Superintendent Registrar’s Certificate to get married) and proof of address. We will also advise you of the need to contact any other churches where banns will need to be read out (banns are an ancient legal tradition during which your intention to marry is announced and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place). Banns need to be read out in the parish in which each of you lives, as well as the church in which you are to be married (if that’s somewhere else).
Three months before your wedding, banns will be read out during Mass over the course of three Sundays. At that point, one of the clergy will then be in touch with you to arrange a time to meet to do some preparation for your marriage and to plan the service. Close to the date of the wedding, we will also arrange a time with you for a rehearsal in church.
To book your wedding at St Mary’s, you will need to contact Fr Adam. To make the booking, you’ll need to fill in a form, provide proof of your qualifying connection to be married at St Mary’s, and both provide proof that you’re British or from the EAA, preferably a passport (If either of you are from outside the EAA then you will require a Superintendent Registrar’s Certificate to get married) and proof of address. We will also advise you of the need to contact any other churches where banns will need to be read out (banns are an ancient legal tradition during which your intention to marry is announced and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place). Banns need to be read out in the parish in which each of you lives, as well as the church in which you are to be married (if that’s somewhere else).
Three months before your wedding, banns will be read out during Mass over the course of three Sundays. At that point, one of the clergy will then be in touch with you to arrange a time to meet to do some preparation for your marriage and to plan the service. Close to the date of the wedding, we will also arrange a time with you for a rehearsal in church.