How do I book a wedding?
One or both of you needs to first contact Fr. David via email and arrange to come and see him. This isn’t to reserve a date which will be discussed when we meet. You are not “booking” the church: it is a public act of worship and so please do not “book” other things expecting the Church to fall into line with those plans: it must always be subject to the approval of the priest celebrating your wedding. There may be other weddings also on the day, but we always ensure there is plenty of time between them (at least 2 hours).
Please complete the Marriage_Application.pdf before meeting Fr. David; this gives basic details to register your wedding with us. Note: this is a proposal at this stage and we cannot guarantee your date until you meet with Fr. David.
Our first response is always this: come to Sunday Mass which starts at 10:00am and lasts no more than one hour. All the teaching and preparation is mediated through the main gathering of the parish in worship, and we expect you to be a part of this in the build up to your wedding. It is also the best way to get hold of us.
Fr David (or one of his colleagues) will check that you are either living in the Parish or have a qualifying connection to the parish. They will then arrange for your banns to be called. There is a non-returnable deposit of £100 required to confirm the booking, and we consider your booking to be provisional until this is paid.
Banns
Calling the banns is a legal requirement if you are to be married in the Church of England. We read out your names on three Sundays and announce that you are planning to get married. This gives people in the local community a chance to object if they know of a reason why you cannot legally marry. (If you marry in a registry office, your names would be displayed for three weeks before the wedding for the same reason).
Please complete the Banns_Application.pdf and email it back to Fr. David.
If you are wanting to get married in another church and have been told that you need your banns calling with us (because you live here) then please contact Fr. David via email After the banns have been read, Fr David will give you a (paper) certificate or letter to give to the priest marrying you in exchange for the banns fee (in 2016 £41). We do not charge for ‘home’ banns so if you live in this parish there will be no charge.
We will read your banns on the first three Sundays of the month before the wedding. We will tell you the dates of the banns. You do not have to be present in church to hear them, although a lot of couples like to be there, especially as everyone in Church pauses and prays for you, your wedding preparations and your future married life together.
If one of you lives in another parish, you must have your banns read there as well. Banns must be read during the three months before the wedding. Please contact the other church in good time so that they can arrange this. When the banns have been called in the other church, they will give you a certificate (which you must pay for, the rate for which changes each year) which you must bring to us.
This is your responsibility. We cannot marry you if we have not seen this certificate and it is something that is often overlooked and causes panic at the last minute. If you need a banns certificate for a wedding in another church, then after the banns have been called they should be picked up from Fr David.