|
The Church of England affirms, according to our Lord's teaching, that marriage is in its nature a union permanent and lifelong, for better for worse, till death them do part, of one man with one woman to the exclusion of all others on either side, for the procreation and nurture of children, for the hallowing and right direction of the natural instincts and affections, and for the mutual society, help and comfort which the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity. It shall be the duty of the Minister... to explain to the two persons who desire to be married, the Church's doctrine of marriage as herein set forth, and the need of God's grace in order that they may discharge aright their obligations as married persons. Canon B30 |
Can we be married at St George's?
You have a legal right to do so if either or both of you live in the parish or are on the church electoral roll*, and neither of you has a partner from a previous marriage still living. The law has recently changed to give you a right to be married in a church where you have other 'demonstrable connections'. You may need to ask about parish boundaries, and about how 'residence' is defined.
* The church electoral roll is a list of those who claim a real connection with the church and, if non-resident, have habitually attended worship for at least six months. Until this qualification is fulfilled, any arrangements made can only be provisional. We will explain to you how your name(s) can be added to the roll once you qualify.
How much does it cost?
The fees, some of which are fixed nationally, are revised each year; you will be given a list of the current rates, including the various 'extras'.
What is the procedure?
Come to church any Sunday (10.15am) and fix a meeting with the Rector, who will give you a booking form and explain the next stages. (You can download the form as a .pdf file if you wish. You can use the same form if you need banns to be read for a wedding elsewhere.) Once the form is completed, the booking will be confirmed, and you can make your reception arrangements.
About three months before your wedding, contact the Rector to fix another meeting, at which the following will be arranged:
1 Legal preliminaries
Normally, banns are published - in other words, your names will be read at the main service on three successive Sundays to give opportunity for anyone who knows a legal impediment to the wedding to declare it. If either of both of you live outside the parish, you will need to arrange for banns to be read at your local Anglican church as well, after which you must get a certificate from the minister of that parish. Without this your wedding cannot go ahead.
In certain situations, marriage may be need to be by licence or Superintendent Registrar's Certificates rather than by banns - we will explain this where necessary!
2 A date for a rehearsal
3 Details of the service, including: