Firstly may we say congratulations!
We’re really pleased you have decided you want to get married and that you want to look at getting married in a church, in the sight of God. We are here to help work through the practicalities of planning and booking your church wedding. There are some things we need to establish before we can book you in for your wedding ie we have to be able to show that you are legally allowed to be married in the UK and that you have a qualifying connection to the church in which you wish to get married. Below are some details about qualifications to get married in any particular church. Have a read through and then get in touch.
Qualifying connections are basically about showing you have a genuine connection to the church in which you wish to get married.
The main forms of qualification are:
- One of you lives or has lived in the parish for at least 6 months or
- Was baptised (Christened) in the parish or
- Was prepared for confirmation within the parish (would be in the parish confirmation registers)
- Has been a regular worshipping member of the church for at least 6 months
OR
That one of your parents has at any time since you were born:
- Lived in the parish for at least 6 months or
- Has been a regular worshipping member of the church for at least 6 months
OR
That one of your parents or Grandparents was married in the parish
This list is not exhaustive but gives a good idea of what counts as a qualifying connection. The next step is to get in touch and arrange to meet with us and look at taking things forward. Other things that will help get the ball rolling are if when we first meet you bring proof of qualifying connection (see above) and passports for proof of British or EU citizenship.
The Church of England have also produced a very helpful site called Your Church Wedding which has lots of helpful tips and advice to help you through the whole process, you can find the website here.
To arrange a meeting please contact one of the Churchwardens or use the contact form on this link here.