Weddings
If you are engaged to be married, congratulations! We would love to help with your big day.
Do we need to come to church? You don’t have to be a regular church goer or Christian believer. You can get married at any Church of England church local to where you or your parents have lived for 6 months or more, or any church you or they used to attend. We do ask you to come when we announce and pray for your marriage. You can visit any Sunday to get a feel for the church. Click here for details of when to come. When can we be married? Reception venues are usually harder to book than churches, so it may be wise to book that first. St Matthew’s prioritise weddings over other church bookings between 10am and 6pm on Saturdays and bank holidays and between 1 and 4pm on Sundays, so long as you are able to give us a few months notice. Will we need marriage preparation? We ask all those who are married at St Matthew’s to come to our Life Explored course or similar, in order to understand the Christian context of your wedding. Click here for details of our next course. Click here for a basic introduction to Christianity. How much does it cost? All Church of England churches charge the same fees to help cover costs, currently in the region of £400. (We are a not-for-profit registered charity). St Matthew’s do not add extra charges, but we leave it to you to arrange your own flowers and music. Does residence or nationality matter? If either partner does not have British nationality, or is living outside England, Wales, or Ireland at the time they apply to get married, then you will need a marriage licence from the archbishop’s faculty office in London. This is to ensure that the wedding is legally valid in the relevant countries, and as a safeguard against marriage being used purely as a means to obtain a passport or visa. Please contact the faculty office for more specific advice or for application forms on 0207 2225381 10am-4pm Mon-Fri ely.registry@1thesanctuary.com What if one of us has a former spouse who is still living? We recognise that marriage breakdown can happen to anyone and can be beyond our control. It is always painful and deserves our sympathy and support. Because of the nature of Christian marriage vows, we are not usually able to conduct remarriage, but would like to offer a service of dedication and prayer following civil marriage. |
