Marriage at St Michael's
“A Wedding is for a day; a Marriage is for life.”
Thinking of getting married, or celebrating a special anniversary?
St Michael's is a popular church for weddings. Many couples nowadays are also choosing to celebrate an anniversary, such as the tenth, fortieth or fiftieth, with a service of Thanksgiving and Renewal of Vows. For those who get married in a civil ceremony, we offer a service of Prayer and Dedication.
In addition to the beauty of the building and its setting, we aim to give every couple a personal welcome and help you in every way as you plan your wedding and your future life together. Many couples have commented on how well they were treated and how meaningful the ceremony was. We will give you help with choosing music and readings, and how to involve members of your family and friends. Every couple will have a minimum of 2 meetings with a priest to talk about their plans, plus (for getting married) an invitation to a short preparation course and a rehearsal a few days before the service.
Can we get married at St Michael's?
Like all Church of England churches, we are governed by the national marriage law. If one or both of you lives within the parish boundaries of St Michael's, the answer is normally, “Yes”. There are now other “qualifying connections” that might make you eligible to be married here. You do NOT need to have been baptised/christened in order to be married in the Church of England. Please note that the Church of England does not conduct same-sex weddings or blessings.
You can get married at St Michael’s if one of the statements below is true for one of you:
What if one of us has been married before?
A number of couples have begun their second marriage at our church, and we treat each situation on an individual basis and with sensitivity. If your former spouse is still alive, you will need to meet with a member of the parish clergy first of all to discuss your situation. The teaching of the Church of England is that marriage is for life. At the same time, it is recognised that there are cases where it is appropriate to help someone make a new start through a second marriage.
Clergy are required to listen sensitively to the stories of those who are seeking a new marriage after divorce and discern whether it would be appropriate for the wedding to take place in church. At St Michael's this usually involves two one-hour meetings with the Rector. You can be assured that you will be listened to sympathetically and that everything you say will be treated in the strictest confidence. For more detailed information, you could visit this official page of the Church of England: www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/MarriageAFTERdivorceFORM.pdf
Marriage preparation
“A Wedding is for a day; a Marriage is for life.” At St Michael’s we feel a sense of responsibility to help you make your marriage a success. We therefore have a short marriage preparation course of two evenings called “Beyond the Honeymoon” to help you to think beyond the pressures of wedding preparations to your future life together. There are usually several couples at each course, which we run twice a year. Each course takes place over two Sunday evenings, and is led by couples who are members of our church. You won't be made to feel embarrassed, or be expected to discuss personal matters in front of others, and you won't be assessed in any way. The intention is to explore what makes for a successful and lasting marriage, giving you the opportunity to discuss these areas as a couple. People tell us how helpful and relevant the course is, and often say that they've learnt something about their partner or themselves. The course is run twice a year, usually in February/March and again in June/July.
What does it cost?
A wedding can be a very expensive day, but the church fees represent a very small proportion of what most couples spend on their wedding day. Some of the fees (for the service and the minister) are set nationally, others (e.g. for the organist and choir) are set by St Michael's Church Council. The Parish Office will be able to give you full details.
Practicalities
We have the use of St Michael’s School car park (next to the church). Toilets are available in the Pastoral Centre near the church. There is wheelchair access to the church and Pastoral Centre, and a loop system is installed in the church for those with hearing aids. We can also hire out the Pastoral Centre for receptions.
What's the next step?
If you would like to discuss the possibility of getting married, or having a service of Thanksgiving at St Michael's, please contact the Parish Office by e-mail or telephone (01252 873030) during a Monday or Thursday morning.
You may also like to visit the Church of England wedding website.
St Michael's is a popular church for weddings. Many couples nowadays are also choosing to celebrate an anniversary, such as the tenth, fortieth or fiftieth, with a service of Thanksgiving and Renewal of Vows. For those who get married in a civil ceremony, we offer a service of Prayer and Dedication.
In addition to the beauty of the building and its setting, we aim to give every couple a personal welcome and help you in every way as you plan your wedding and your future life together. Many couples have commented on how well they were treated and how meaningful the ceremony was. We will give you help with choosing music and readings, and how to involve members of your family and friends. Every couple will have a minimum of 2 meetings with a priest to talk about their plans, plus (for getting married) an invitation to a short preparation course and a rehearsal a few days before the service.
Can we get married at St Michael's?
Like all Church of England churches, we are governed by the national marriage law. If one or both of you lives within the parish boundaries of St Michael's, the answer is normally, “Yes”. There are now other “qualifying connections” that might make you eligible to be married here. You do NOT need to have been baptised/christened in order to be married in the Church of England. Please note that the Church of England does not conduct same-sex weddings or blessings.
You can get married at St Michael’s if one of the statements below is true for one of you:
- Your usual residence is in the parish. (You can check this by going to www.achurchnearyou.com and typing in your postcode.)
- You are a member of our church's membership roll.
- You have worshipped habitually at St Michael’s for at least 6 months, or you used to in the past. (By habitual worship we mean attending Sunday services at least once a month.)
- You were baptised or confirmed here.
- You used to live in the parish over a period of at least 6 month.
- Your parents lived in the parish or worshipped here habitually for at least 6 months (an average of at least once a month) during your lifetime.
- Your parents or grandparents got married here.
What if one of us has been married before?
A number of couples have begun their second marriage at our church, and we treat each situation on an individual basis and with sensitivity. If your former spouse is still alive, you will need to meet with a member of the parish clergy first of all to discuss your situation. The teaching of the Church of England is that marriage is for life. At the same time, it is recognised that there are cases where it is appropriate to help someone make a new start through a second marriage.
Clergy are required to listen sensitively to the stories of those who are seeking a new marriage after divorce and discern whether it would be appropriate for the wedding to take place in church. At St Michael's this usually involves two one-hour meetings with the Rector. You can be assured that you will be listened to sympathetically and that everything you say will be treated in the strictest confidence. For more detailed information, you could visit this official page of the Church of England: www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2017-11/MarriageAFTERdivorceFORM.pdf
Marriage preparation
“A Wedding is for a day; a Marriage is for life.” At St Michael’s we feel a sense of responsibility to help you make your marriage a success. We therefore have a short marriage preparation course of two evenings called “Beyond the Honeymoon” to help you to think beyond the pressures of wedding preparations to your future life together. There are usually several couples at each course, which we run twice a year. Each course takes place over two Sunday evenings, and is led by couples who are members of our church. You won't be made to feel embarrassed, or be expected to discuss personal matters in front of others, and you won't be assessed in any way. The intention is to explore what makes for a successful and lasting marriage, giving you the opportunity to discuss these areas as a couple. People tell us how helpful and relevant the course is, and often say that they've learnt something about their partner or themselves. The course is run twice a year, usually in February/March and again in June/July.
What does it cost?
A wedding can be a very expensive day, but the church fees represent a very small proportion of what most couples spend on their wedding day. Some of the fees (for the service and the minister) are set nationally, others (e.g. for the organist and choir) are set by St Michael's Church Council. The Parish Office will be able to give you full details.
Practicalities
We have the use of St Michael’s School car park (next to the church). Toilets are available in the Pastoral Centre near the church. There is wheelchair access to the church and Pastoral Centre, and a loop system is installed in the church for those with hearing aids. We can also hire out the Pastoral Centre for receptions.
What's the next step?
If you would like to discuss the possibility of getting married, or having a service of Thanksgiving at St Michael's, please contact the Parish Office by e-mail or telephone (01252 873030) during a Monday or Thursday morning.
You may also like to visit the Church of England wedding website.