Weddings

It’s great that you are planning to get married. Please look at the general information about getting married in the Church of England. If you would like to get married at Christ Church, one of our ministers would love to meet you to chat about your plans. Please Contact Us to arrange a meeting. He will need make sure you fulfil the legal requirements to be married at Christ Church. In particular, you are legally required to have a connection with the church or church parish area. Here are the criteria:

You must both be aged 18 or over; and one of you must fall into one of these categories:

lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months,
been baptised in the parish,
been prepared for confirmation in the parish,
have at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months,
one of your parents lived in the parish for at least 6 months at any time after you were born,
one of your parents has regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for at least 6 months at any time after you were born,
one of your parents or grandparents was married in the parish.

If you don’t fall into any of these categories, you will have to apply to the Archbishop of Canterbury for a special licence to get married at Christ Church. Without one we are not allowed to marry you.

Banns

Banns are a somewhat quaint way of asking whether anyone present in public worship knows any legal reason why you should not be married. They need to be read within three months of the wedding, often on three consecutive Sundays, and at that time we will also pray for you as you get ready for married life.

Preparation

There will be lots of practical preparations for your wedding. If you are going to get married at Christ Church we want to help you prepare for being married. So we will invite you to come to some informal meetings when we can help you think through some of the challenges of married life. Because you have chosen a church wedding, we will also want to explain more about the Christian faith and the difference this can mean to life now, both single and married, and in eternity.

Wedding Fees

Here are the fees set by the Church of England for 2021:

Basic Fee: £464
Publishing of Banns: £31 (applies for each church concerned)
Certificate of Banns: £15

Christ Church fees:
Verger (to open up and prepare the church): £40
Organist (optional): from £50
Sound desk & computer operators (optional): £20
Livestream (optional): £20
Heating (if required): £40
Five piece band (optional): £50
Covid cleaning: £20
Lounge, Main Hall and Kitchen (optional): £70

The sound desk & computer operators will provide amplification for speakers, recording of the service, and project/play any CDs/DVDs/pictures you would like before, during or after the service. Broadcasting a YouTube livestream depends on staff availability. If you would like to hire our halls for light refreshments afterwards you may do so providing there are no other planned events that day.

Divorcees and Marriage Blessings

Like many churches, at Christ Church we have a policy not to conduct wedding ceremonies for divorced people. However, if you are previously divorced and have since married in a Register Office we would be happy to perform a Marriage Blessing. The fees for this are as follows:

Service: £199

Other fees as above.

Same-Sex Weddings

Although same-sex marriage legislation is now in force, the fact remains that it is not legally possible for same sex couples to marry in the Church of England.