Q&A Church Weddings - Dorset Wedding Directory - DorsetWeddingDirectory.co.uk

Everyone lives in a parish and belongs to a parish church. That’s the church you should contact for more information about getting married.However, from October 1st 2008 you can also marry in a church that has special significance for you as well as your parish church. An example might be the parish where one of you grew up in or where a parent of one of you lives.

Yes! Normally the parish priest will want to get to know you a bit and might ask you to some preparation meetings or church services before you get married.

Get in touch with your local parish priest or the preist of your special church. He or she will probably wish to meet with you in person to discuss your plans.

If you are a regular worshipper in that church, it is usually possible to be married there. Just speak to your minister.

If you are not a regular worshipper why not start attending? You will normally be expected to attend services for some time before becoming eligible to be married there.

There is no reason why you shouldn’t do this, provided your vicar is happy. There is a service of prayer and dedication after a civil ceremony and this can be adapted. There are no legal requirements or set fees.

The Church of England believes that marriage is for life. But it recognises that sadly, some marriages do fail. In exceptional circumstances, the Church accepts that a divorced person may marry again.

Speak to your parish priest. He or she will want to talk to you frankly about your past and your hopes for the future. Even if it is not possible to do your wedding, they may be willing to offer you service of prayer and dedication after a civil ceremony.

People of all denominations have a right to be married in their parish church (provided they have not been married before). So it doesn’t matter from the Church of England’s perspective.

Unless you are getting married by Common or Special licence the normal way is to have your banns read out in church on theree Sundays during the three months before your wedding. You would be most welcome to join the church community for the service and to hear them read. The banns must be read in the parish where each of you lives as well as the church in which you are to be married if that is in another parish.

If you are under the age of eighteen, you must have your parents’ consent to marry.

There are circumstances where some form of licence, such as a common licence or special licence, is more appropriate. Your priest or minister will discuss with you what you need to do.

The legal fees for a marriage cover the publication of the banns, the marriage service and a certificate of marriage. These fees are fixed centrally and are currently approximately £240. These fees do not cover any extras you may wish to have for the service, such as a choir, organist, bell-ringers, special lighting, fees for video recording and so on. Check with your parish priest.

You will need to ask permission from the parish priest and there may be a fee. Permission is not required to record the authorised words of the service but bear in mind there may be copyright issues if you're recording a person's performance (eg a professional organist) or using copyright hymns or readings.

The minister taking your service will probably want to meet you and the other people taking part in the service before the wedding, in the church, to talk to you all about what to expect.

Many churches can do these for you at a reasonable charge and the flower arranger will be happy to discuss what you want. You can also do your own or engage your own florist.

Although you have the right to get married in a church, the time of the service is decided by negotiation with your minister. It must be between 8am and 6pm and not clash with other services. Therefore you could get married on a Sunday provided it was not at a time of the normal Sunday services and the minister was willing to do it.

If one is a national of a country outside Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the EU or USA The Church has a responsibility to conduct marriages which will be recognised in the country the bride or groom comes from. This is done for the couple’s benefit not just for bureaucracy. Therefore, the Faculty Office strongly recommends that these marriages should be done by Common Licence rather than banns and some dioceses ask the person to obtain from the relevant embassy or consulate a letter saying their marriage will be recognised.

The Church offers a service of Thanksgiving of Marriage, which may be used for a number of different occasions including:

The service may be held in a church or another location, such as the home (you will need to speak to you parish priest about the exact details). You may also wish to combine the renewing of vows with a service of Holy Communion.