Church Marriage
 A church marriage is the traditional and religious way to tie the knot.
Below you will find articles containing information and advice on the perfect church wedding.
Church Overview
Your parish church may have a particular significance for you and your family - other family weddings, christenings or funerals that have taken place there.
You may have come to the church with your school or as a Brownie, celebrated Christmas or Easter, Mothering Sunday or Harvest Festival.
All these things make the parish church a place where you belong, and to choose to be married there is a tap in to a wonderful richness of tradition and personal history.
Perhaps, like many couples, you have made your home together away from where you were brought up and have no connection with a church near you. Why not take the opportunity of your wedding to make the connection?
The parish church is there for you and you will be welcome there. To be married there is a way of setting down new roots in the community, as part of your family life.
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Within the love of God.
If you choose to get married in church, you will discover an added dimension - that God cares about you and your relationship.
In the wedding service you promise to share all that you have and all that you are with your partner "within the love of God".
The beginning
of the service reminds us that "God is love, and those who live in love, live in God and God lives in them". Including God in your marriage does not mean that you will avoid the usual ups and downs, but you will know that his love will sustain you and that you can look to him for help and guidance.
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And before this congregation
When you are married in church you are married not only in the company of the friends and family you have invited to your wedding, but amongst a community of Christians who will have been thinking of and praying for you on the run up to your big day.
Couples usually go to church on the Sundays when their banns are read. You will be made welcome and prayers will be said for you. The regular congregation loves to be able to put faces to the names they hear and taking the opportunity to go to a sunday service will help you feel at home and comfortable there on your special day.
As you plan for your wedding you will meet and get to know the minister and possibly some other people who will help, support and advise you.
Return to top Some frequently asked questions.
From this day forward.
There are so many things to think about when planning your wedding - the service, the reception, the dress, the cake, who to invite, who sits where, the honeymoon. All these things are important, but the wedding is just one day.
What you are committing to is a relationship that you mean to last for the rest of your lives. It is important that alongside all the wedding preparations you take time to spend as a couple talking through your expectations of marriage.
However well you think you know each other, even if you have lived together for some time, you are still two separate individuals with different life experiences, personalities, hopes and fears. The minister will probably want to spend some time going over these issues with you. Some churches offer marriage preparation as part of a group with other couples. This gives you an opportunity to think through different areas of difficulty and how you will handle them as a couple. Topics might include communication, money matters, coping with conflict, in-laws and family issues.
Return to top Where can we get married?
You have the right to be married in the church of the Church of England parish where either of you lives. If you are a worshipping, active member of a church somewhere else, you can usually be married there.
If you wish to be married in a church other than your local one, things become a little more complicated. This is not because we want to be difficult, but because of the legal requirements.
You will usually be asked to go on the electoral role of that church and to attend services over a period. In certain circumstances you can apply for a special licence. Find out more on the Church of England Web site. Some churches set out there wedding policy on there own web sites. Above all, do not hesitate to ask the minister where you want to be married.
Return to top What will it cost?
The basic fee is fixed centrally and covers the legal fees, including the wedding service and the marriage certificate. It will be between £200 and £300. Extras such as the organist, choir and bells are additional. Most churches also have a team of expert flower arrangers who can offer their services at a modest price and some can print your orders of service too.
Return to top What if one of us is divorced?
While the Church of England teaches that marriage is for life, it also recognises that some marriages do break down and accepts that, in exceptional circumstances, a divorced person may marry again in church. It is up to the local minister to decide whether or not to conduct the service. The decision will be based upon your particular circumstances. You should be prepared to talk frankly about the past, your hopes for the future and your own understanding of marriage. You will be asked to complete a special form which you can download from the Church of England web site. This will help you think through the issues you will have to discuss.
Some ministers feel it is never right for them to conduct a wedding service for a divorced person. They may, however, be happy to offer you a very lovely service of prayer and dedication in church following a civil ceremony.
Return to top How do we book?
Get in touch with the minister as soon as possible to make sure the church is available and you can meet the legal requirements.
If you are not sure where to find your parish church or minister you can find this out from Diocese of Chelmsford web site.
Wherever you choose to marry we hope that you have a wonderful wedding day and a long happy marriage.
Article by Rev. Pearl Anderson
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