Weddings

Not just a day but a life time

Your wedding day will probably be one of the most important days of your life and we will work to make the Marriage Service a happy and joyous occasion.

Who can get married in church?

Getting married in church is not like booking any other venue. There are legal restrictions around who can get married in church.

You can marry in a Church of England church if you can show that one of you:

1 has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months, or

2 was baptised in the parish concerned or

3 was prepared for confirmation in the parish or

4 has at any time regularly gone to normal services in the parish church for a period of at least six months or

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

1 has lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or

2 has regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months or

That one of your parents or grandparents was married in the church.

In all cases involving church services - i.e. going to normal church services, baptism, confirmation or marriage - this applies only to Church of England Services. Even if you cannot demonstrate any of the above connections, we want to help you explore whether it may still be possible for you to marry in your special church.

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

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THE SERVICE

The Rector says: “You will need at least one reading from the Bible, I think it's nice to have two readings (one not from the Bible) and to ask a friend or member of the family to read. Its great to have a couple of hymns, but I think three gives a really good balance. You will need to think about music for the arrival of the bride; the signing of the register (since May 2021 - The Marriage Document) and the procession out of the church at the end of the service. You also need to think about which two people will act as witnesses to your marriage and sign the Marriage Document.” We can provide suggestions for readings, hymns and music.

You may wish to write a prayer together giving voice to your hopes for your life together, which can be said at the service by the Rector.

The Rector will talk you through the whole thing well in advance and is able to suggest readings, hymns and music. But we are very keen that it is YOUR DAY and we will do our best to ensure that your wishes are fulfilled.

How much does a Wedding in church cost?

In 2024, there is a statutory fee for the Marriage Service itself, which is £531.

By comparison, in 2021, Gloucestershire Register Service charged a booking fee of £60, plus: Notice of Marriage Fee, £70; £490 to conduct a Marriage Ceremony at an Approved Venue on a Friday; £560 on a Saturday; and £600 on a Sunday or Bank Holiday - and then you have to pay to hire the venue as well!

Before a wedding can be conducted ‘Banns’ need to be published in the parish church where you are to be married and also where you live. This needs to take place within three months of the wedding and on three consecutive weeks. There is a fee of £36 for the publication of Banns and £18 for a Banns Certificate. Banns are a legal requirement before a marriage can take place - so the Rector will keep reminding you of this! No Banns Certificate from the parish where you live means NO WEDDING!!

If you would like our organist to play the hymns and music at the service, there is a fee of c£130 payable. If you have a video recording of the service, musicians can ask for their fee to be doubled.

Some of our churches have bells and the fees do vary - the Rector will explain why when you ask! We need to set things up before you arrive and clear up afterwards and there is a Verger’s Fee of £30 to cover this.

If your wedding is during a cold period, you may want the heating on and we need to make a charge to cover this. The fee is variable, depending on how long you want to have the heating on for.

You need to make your own decisions about how much you want to spend on flowers to decorate the church.