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Weddings and
Banns of marriage

Weddings are most joyful occassions and holding this in St Michael's makes the service spiritual and meaningful as you commit to one another in the next chapter of your journey in life with Christ.

Couples living in the Parish of St. Mary's but getting married in a church elsewhere will need Banns of Marriage reading beforehand. Please contact the Vicar at the address below to set up a banns interview to organise this.

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It is normal for the Vicar to meet with the Bride and Groom several times to book the marriage. This will include a requirement to provide formal identification, and proof of residence. Planning the wedding is done at the following wedding interview when the Vicar will help bring the order of service together so that the couple can start to draft this before having it printed.

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The Marriage Service

A wedding is one of life’s great moments, a time of solemn commitment as well as good wishes, feasting and joy. St John tells us how Jesus shared in such an occasion at Cana, and gave there a sign of new beginnings as he turned water into wine.


Marriage is intended by God to be a creative relationship, as his blessing enables husband and wife to love and support each other in good times and in bad, and to share in the care and upbringing of children. For Christians, marriage is also an invitation to share life together in the spirit of Jesus Christ. It is based upon a solemn, public and life-long covenant between a man and a woman, declared and celebrated in the presence of God and before witnesses.










 


During the wedding service the bride and bridegroom face each other, make their promises and receive God’s blessing. The congregation are involved as witnesses of the marriage. They are asked to express their support by being present and praying for the married couple. Your support does not end today: the couple will value continued encouragement in the days and years ahead of them.

The service concludes with a final blessing and signing the registers. Witnesses must be adults who understand what has taken place and can answer for their role in the service.

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If you require any further advice or want to make an enquiry, please contact me direct for a discussion, Revd Canon Richard Walker, by telephone (01653 531152) or by email: revrichardjwalker@gmail.com

Booking a Wedding
Getting married at St. Mary's is a wonderful experience and if you are looking for help with this we would be delighted to chat this through with you.

The first step is be to make an enquiry with the Vicar and book a wedding interview. The contact details are below and during an initial interview we will register your details and explain the process of being married in a church service. It isn't unusual for us to take bookings a year ahead, but organising a wedding service with all the legal requirements can be completed within a three months.

After we have agreed the date, we will have another meeting when together we can plan your wedding service and include the music, songs, hymns, and readings that you would like to have on the wedding day. Part of being married at St. Michael's includes a wedding rehearsal with your significant guests a day or so before the wedding so that everyone knows what to do on the big day.

















Preliminaries to Marriage
One of the most important points about marriage is understanding your given identity and residence. Passports and Driving Licenses usually provide this information, but birth certificates and current utility bills will also work. Only those who live in the parish, or have a qualifying connection with the church have a right to be married at St. Mary's. Couples can secure a qualifying connection by attending services and becoming regularly worshipping members over a period of 12 months. 

Marriage is governed by UK law and can only take place after a preliminary to marriage, such as the reading of Banns or a license has been issued. Banns are a formal announcement made at the beginning of a church services to determine that a couple are who they say they are and live in the parish. Where one partner or both are living in a different parish from St. Mary's, then Banns will also need to be read in the local parish church and a certificate issued before the marriage can take place.

A good link that helps explain the process of being married in a Church of England service can be found here: Your Church Wedding | The Church of England.

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