Weddings

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ( 1 Corinthians 13 : 4 – 7 )

Firstly congratulations.

Here at Christ Church we are delighted to host weddings throughout the year. Christ Church is a beautiful place to celebrate your wedding and we would be honoured to be part of your special day.

If you would like to enquire about getting married at Christ Church, the first step is to contact the Parish Clerk, Jill Walters. She can be contacted at the Parish Office via the contact details on the contact us page.

Once a provisional booking is made, Jill will keep you up to date with what needs to be done next and our wedding team are always ready to answer questions and help you find out more.

We invite all couples to come to a ‘Marriage Preparation Morning‘ (usually a Saturday morning in the first quarter of the year) or to have one-to-one preparation opportunity with the member of the Clergy presiding over their Wedding. Each of these is an informal opportunity to meet with the clergy and begin making further plans and preparations not only for your Wedding but also for your Marriage.

As you plan your wedding it is really worth making sure that you have sorted out the Legal Preliminaries as early on as possible.  This is not as terrifying as it sounds, and our Parish Clerk will talk you through what it means step by step.

Part of the process normally includes the reading of Banns of Marriage in the parish(es) where you live. We will arrange with you to read the Banns here at Christ Church, and if one of you lives in another parish we will explain how to organise ‘away’ Banns to be read there also.

Banns of Marriage are read on three (usually) consecutive Sundays within three months of the date of your Wedding, and are a public declaration of who wishes to marry, and a form of checking that there are no legal reasons why they cannot do so.

The dates for reading the Banns of Marriage will be arranged with you.  You do not need to be present for the reading of Banns,  but it can be a very effective way of simply reminding yourselves what all your preparation is all about, the two of you. After the third reading you will need to collect from that parish the Banns Certificate (and pay the appropriate fee) and deliver it to the Parish Clerk at the Parish Centre as soon as possible.

In certain circumstances you may need to be Married by Licence.  If this is the case, this is not complicated and the Parish Clerk will advise you on the steps you need to take. As with Banns of Marriage this Licence is valid for three calendar months.

Can we marry at Christ Church?

Many people are worried about whether they are allowed to marry in church.   In fact the Church of England has worked hard to make sure that most people can marry in any church with which they have a connection.

This connection may be that you live within the Parish of Christ Church, or that you worship here.  It may also be that you have a Qualifying Connection with the Parish.

Please come to talk to our Parish Clerk if you have any questions.

You may also find it helpful to visit the following websites for further information:

www.churchofengland.org

YourChurchWedding

If you wish to find your local parish church, parish boundaries are listed by post code at the Anglican  Diocesan website.

Divorce, except in certain circumstances, is not a barrier to getting married at Christ Church,  and the Parish Clerk and the clergy will be happy to talk to you about this.

Please make contact with us and we can talk with you.

This is no barrier to getting married at Christ Church, and we are eager to support you in building your family life.