is not fashionable - indeed nowadays it is hardly the fashion to marry at all !   This information is intended to help those who decide they do wish to marry, and who want to marry in their Church of England Parish church in a Christian ceremony,  in which solemn promises to each other are made before God.

Who can marry in Church?

Anyone who,

[1]  lives in the area of the Anglican parish,

[2] is a member of the church electoral roll,

even if they live elsewhere,

or, since recent legislation,

[3] a person who can demonstrate a particular

connection with the parish.

The basic costs of the marriage service in Church are meant to be the same as the fees for marriage at the Register Office, so  there is no financial disincentive to marriage in Church.

However, Church weddings can be more expensive,

since they often involve additional costs for things like

Bell ringers, Organist, & Choir.

How much does it actually cost ?

Only the Legal fees, are indispensable. For some people the costs may not be an issue; sometime indeed folk spend more on the photographer and wedding dress. 

But if you’re concerned about cost, we do constantly remind people that many things people associate with Church weddings are really only comparatively recent tradition and they are voluntary extras.

You do not, e.g.,  have to have organ music or bells rung. You do not need to buy special suits and costly dresses. In the past, people must often have just come to church with their friends, wearing their ordinary clothes, and afterwards gone home for a family party. 

There is of course, a whole ‘Wedding Industry’ which would have you believe that all sorts of expensive things are vital!  But they aren’t necessary at all.  You can get married in jeans & tee-shirt if you wish. The only fees you are obliged to incur are the Legal costs.

A list of fees for this Parish in 2011

is included in this leaflet. (N.B. A deposit of £100 is required when booking the wedding)

How do we go about

arranging a Church wedding?

First,

contact the Priest of

the church where you wish to marry.

If you are unsure, he or she will tell you if you meet the relevant qualifications and will book you a provisional date for the wedding so you can make other arrangements.  S/He will also fix a date for you to return to make more detailed arrangements, and will also tell you if you can be married after giving notice by Banns, or of you will need to marry by Common Licence..  If you are a foreign national, you will have to marry by Licence, or (in certain circumstances), after the issue of a Superintendent Registrar’s certificate.

If the parishes run marriage preparation workshops you will be invited to them, or the Vicar may arrange to visit you, or to meet again to talk about your wedding. And do Beware. You must not arrange things like, e.g. a venue for a reception, before you have booked a date with the Vicar.  The church may not be available for the time you have chosen.

It is possible to arrange marriage sooner, but in general in this parish we ask people to observe certain conditions

Conditions

When first arranging a marriage,

[a]It is common to start making arrangements in the year before the marriage, but even if you intend to marry by Licence, you must give at least three months notice of your intention to marry.  In other words, we ask you to find the parish priest and book a date at least three months in advance.

[b]You will also be asked

to pay a deposit of £200

If it become necessary to cancel a wedding, this deposit will only normally be refunded if you give at least one calendar month’s notice of the cancellation

Secondly, 

keep in touch with the Vicar

and make sure you keep the follow-up meetings which s/he has arranged for you. 

Typically in this parish, when you meet the second time, the Vicar will want you to be able to decide what kind of service, what music you may wish to have in the wedding, and whether you wish to have particular Readings from Scripture and other literature. 

Also e.g., whether a friend, another priest, or someone from your family may wish to give an address.

The Vicar will arrange dates and times for you to attend church to go through the service in preparation for the wedding itself. 

We try to help you prepare carefully for your marriage. For Christians,marriage is a solemn, public and lifelong covenant between man and woman, declared and celebrated not only before witnesses, but in the presence of God. No less than an invitation

to share life together in the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

(See 1 Corinthians 13. verses 4-7)

Remember, the Vicar is no longer willing to marry folk here in normal circumstances, unless they have given at least three months notice when fixing the date, and paid the due deposit against the wedding costs, or to read the Banns for marriages elsewhere unless the Banns fees are paid in advance. 

The deposit in respect of wedding costs here

is not refundable (see above) unless you give

the proper notice of cancellation, which will in general

be at least four weeks.

Fees and Costs

The legal fees are as follows,

For the Reading of Banns when a marriage

is to take place elsewhere,

Publication of Banns  £22.00

Issue of Banns Certificate  £12.00

For Weddings here,

Publication of Banns  £22.00

Marriage Service          £262.00

Issue of Certified copy of Register  £3.50

(at the time of Marriage; afterwards the fee is higher)

Fee for Common Licence  £85+

Local Church Fees at St. John’s for 2011

Verger*    £35.00   

Organist    £65.00

Bells      £20.00

Cleaner    £35.00

Video permission    £100.00

Church heating*  £45.00

* The Verger is a necessity

but the other local fees are optional.

The heating charge only applies in cold weather!

Contact Information

The Vicar is the Revd. Anthony Luckcuck

His address is,

The Vicarage

261 Oakdale Road

Carlton

Nottingham

NG4 1BP

Phone (0115) 9872216

eMail amleclerc@btinternet.com

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