Thinking about marriage?

Congratulations! Marriage is one of the biggest decisions anybody will make in life. It can be the beginning of a wonderful life with the person you love. But the wedding day itself can seem daunting, and making a go of married life is an even greater challenge. We want to do all we can to make your wedding day special, and to help you prepare for a lifetime together.

Who can get married? Marriage in the Church of England must be between a man and a woman over the age of eighteen years (or over the age of sixteen if you have the written consent of your parents). You must not be married to anybody else, and may not be more closely related than first cousins. God loves everyone, and Christian marriage is open to all those who ask for a Christian wedding: you do not need to be baptised or confirmed in the Church of England.

What if one of us is divorced?  Marriage in the Church of England is sometimes available to people who are divorced and whose previous partner is still alive. We will need to talk with you in some detail to see whether this can be possible.

What if one of us is not a British citizen? The most up to date information to answer this question, as Britain leaves the EU, can be found on the church weddings website.

Which church can I get married in? If you meet the nationality and other conditions above, you have a right to be married in parish church where you live. In addition, you may also be married in any church where you have been worshipping regularly on Sundays for six months or more and are on the Electoral Roll (ie the membership list). And you can also normally be married in a church to which you have a specified connection:

  • You used to live in the parish
  • Your parents do or did live in the parish during your lifetime
  • Your parents or grandparents were married in the church
  • You used to attend the church
  • You or your parents were baptised in the church.

Note that you will need to have the banns called in the parish church of the parish where each of you lives and we will need the ‘banns certificate’.

If none of the above reasons for marrying at a church in the Lordsbridge Team area apply, but you have special reasons for being married here, you may still be able to obtain an Archbishop’s Special Licence under certain circumstances.

There is more about all of this on the church weddings website.

Our Church buildings  Please be aware that our ancient church buildings, from time to time, need repairs and we cannot always know when this will be. However, we will endeavor to ensure that your service will be disrupted as little as possible.

Planning the service. We want the day to be special, and will try to ensure that you can choose the things you want to have in your service, provided it is in keeping with a Christian ceremony and with legal requirements. However, if you are not sure we will guide and help with the planning at every stage.  One of the ways in which we support you is with an invitation to a preparation and planning day with other weddings couples getting married in our churches.

How much will it cost? Fees for weddings mainly go towards to the costs of the ancient building and for the time of the minister (for the service and legal costs).  There are some extra costs to allow payment of the organist and possibly bell ringers, and a nominal fee for the preparation and planning day. The statutory fees are set by the Church of England and are fixed nationally and are the same for every Church of England church. The other fees are set by the individual Parochial Church Councils. Both the statutory fees and the PCC fees are reviewed each year and may go up slightly. 

How do I apply?

Please contact our weddings administrator in the first instance via thelordsbridgeteam@gmail.com.  She will send you an information pack and an registration form, so that we have a record of the full details which will need to be entered on the marriage certificate.  You should talk to her about possible dates so that we can pencil you in.  Please inform us as early as possible about your plans.

More details about holding your wedding in a Church of England church can also be found here.