Weddings and Blessings of Civil Marriage

If you are engaged to be married, congratulations!

A wedding in church is a great way to begin your married life together. If you are thinking of having your wedding at St Mary’s, first of all you need to make sure that you are eligible to be married here.

If you live in the parish, you have an automatic right to be married here at St Mary’s. You can find out which parish you live in here. You can find out more about getting married at St Mary's here.

According to the Church of England’s regulations, you can also marry here if you can show that one of you:

  • has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least six months, or

  • was baptised (christened) here, or

  • is confirmed and your confirmation was entered in the register of confirmations here (this will usually be the case if you were prepared for confirmation in the parish), or

  • has at any time regularly (that is at least twice a month) gone to normal church services here for a period of at least six months.

Or, that one of your parents, at any time after you were born:

  • has lived in the parish for a period of at least six months, or

  • has regularly gone to normal church services here for a period of at least six months.

Or, that one of your parents or grandparents:

  • was married here.

If you cannot demonstrate any of the above connections, the easiest thing is to simply come along to one of our usual services at least twice a month for six consecutive months, and at that point your wedding can be booked officially. You will need to leave a few weeks after this for the banns to be read before your wedding day.

Talk to the Vicar well in advance to discuss the options open to you.

If you’d like to be married at St Mary’s, the first step is to speak to the Vicar before making any bookings for your reception in case the date you ask for is not available.

Planning your wedding

When you book your wedding date, the Vicar will then want to meet with you a few times to complete the necessary paperwork, to speak with you about what marriage means, and how you are preparing yourselves for life beyond the wedding; and to plan your service. You’ll be put in touch with the Director of Music who will help you to plan your music, and book singers or other musicians as needed. He’ll also speak to you about the costs including supplemental fees for recording your service.  

Blessing of Civil Marriage 

If you have been married by a civil Registrar and would like to have your marriage blessed in church, contact the Vicar to find out how to arrange a Service of Blessing. Such a service can be just as elaborate and beautiful as a church wedding, with flowers and music to make it special. It doesn't include the legal parts of a wedding ceremony, but usually includes the renewing of your marriage vows and blessing your rings, as well as special prayers for the couple.   

Civil Partnerships and Same Sex Marriages 

The Church of England does not yet allow us to solemnise or perform Same Sex Marriages in church, but we look forward being able to offer Blessings of LGBTI+ Couples who have entered into these civil relationships, using the Prayers of Love and Faith to be approved in November 2023.  See the PCC's resolution from the July meeting here.