Marriage

What is special about Christian Marriage?

Marriage is not exclusive to Christianity. We do, however, believe that it is something given by God as part of his creation, and we believe that Christian marriage has an added dimension to it. When a couple gets married in Church, they are not merely making vows to each other in the presence of human witnesses, but in the presence of God, represented by his minster, and they receive his blessing. Christian marriage is one of the Sacraments of the church - the outward signs of making vows, joining hands and giving and receiving rings signify a deeper spiritual reality - the beginning of a lifelong loving union which reflects, however imperfectly, the loving and faithful bond between Christ and his Church.

.Traditionally, the Church has recognised three aspects of Christian Marriage: their faithfulness to one another through good times and bad, the bodily union which leads to the birth of children, and the privilege of mirroring Christ's love for his church in the sacramental bond.

Can I get married at St Paul’s?

Since 1st October 2008 the rules have changed, allowing anyone with a demonstrable connection with the parish to marry here. Qualifying connections include:

• One of you was baptised at St Paul' or confirmed as a member of this parish (recorded in our confirmation register)
• Your parents or grandparents were married at St Paul'
• One of you has lived in the parish as your main residence for at least six months (even if you no longer live here); or your parents have lived in the parish for a six month period during your lifetime
• You or your parents have habitually worshipped here for a period of at least six months (even if you no longer habitually worship here)

If you wish to apply for marriage with one of these qualifying connections, you will need to talk to us and be prepared to provide evidence of the connection. These new rules do not affect current residents or church members, who are still entitled to marry in their parish church.

What to expect at St Paul’s

If you wish to get married at St Paul’s you should get in touch with us well in advance, and before booking your reception venue etc, as we cannot guarantee that your preferred date will be available. Ideally, you should drop in to the Church during the Saturday Morning office hour, 10am-11am, as this is when we usually deal with marriage applications.

Banns

There are certain legal preliminaries to getting married in the Church of England. The most usual way of satisfying the requirements is to have 'Banns' of marriage read in (i) the church where you are getting married and (ii) the church(es) of the parish(es) where both of you live. This is a way of asking the local community if they know of any reason in law why you cannot marry. Objections are very rare - the only legitimate reasons to object are that one of you is already married, or you are related, or under the age of consent - but this is a necessary formality. Banns are read on three Sundays up to three months before the date of the wedding. Our practice at St Paul’s is to read them at the end of the 10am Parish Mass on the first three Sundays of the month preceding your wedding.

There is no obligation to attend, but many couples do come at least once. Very often, it is necessary to apply for a Common License, or a Superintendent Registrar’s Certificate. This is usually the where one or both of those getting married holds a passport from a different country. The process of applying for such licenses will be explained during the application.

Download Marriage application form here