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Deciding to get married is one of the most significant steps of any life – it reflects the love and commitment you already share, and marks a public commitment to live together through good and bad for the rest of your lives, sharing each other’s sorrows and joys and being faithful to each other whatever the future holds. For the Church, marriage is a way of life which God has commended in the Bible (it appears right at the beginning in Genesis 2) and has been blessed by God through the presence of his Son Jesus at a wedding in Cana of Galilee (John 2). St Peter’s is delighted to share in the love and commitment of couples, and all those involved – clergy, Parish Administrator, musicians, and others – are happy to help in any way they can to plan your great day.
All the answers on this website are accurate to the best of our knowledge but you will need to check with us before making serious preparations.
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If you would like to discuss having your marriage service at St Peter’s, and before making any serious plans, you should contact Sally Wood in our Parish Office on (01843) 866 061 or email admin@stpeterinthanet.org.uk who can discuss the possibilities with you. It is important that you check with her both that you are legally able to marry here and that any dates you have in mind are free. This website isn’t exhaustive and you’ll need to speak with Sally for more details.
About six to eight months before your wedding one of the clergy will be in touch, and will probably want to meet you to learn a bit about you and to get to know you as a couple. They will also arrange a time for the wedding rehearsal.
We are delighted to share in the joy of marriage and would be glad to welcome you. However, there are some legal restrictions – set by Parliament, not by us! – on when and where you get married. You can usually be married at St Peter’s if:
- you live in the geographical area covered by our churches; or
- one or both of you is a regular attender at St Peter’s and is on the church electoral roll.
It might be possible to get married at St Peter’s if neither of these applies to you but you have a strong connection with the church and community by seeking what is called a Special Licence. You will need to make early contact with us to explore this possibility.
Weddings usually take place on Saturday afternoons but they can, by mutual agreement, take place at other times. Especially for Saturdays in the summer there is high demand, so it is important to make contact as soon as possible if you want to secure a particular date.
Weddings must normally take place between 8am and 6pm.
The fees for a marriage are set annually; please check with us about the exact cost. However, as a guide, the basic fee is £398. There are additional fees if you would like the organist, the choir, and / or the ringing of the bells. Different fees may apply in some circumstances (for instance, if you are marrying by Special Licence).
No. We encourage everyone who is marrying in church to think about why they want to do so, and if you aren’t baptised we would be happy to discuss this with you – but there’s no requirement that you must be baptised before you are married in the Church of England.
No – we are delighted to welcome people from all Christian denominations for marriage in our church. If you are regular members of another congregation, it may be possible to involve your priest / minister / pastor in part of the service, although it must be a Church of England minister who actually officiates at the legal marriage.
While the Church believes that marriage is a lifelong commitment, we recognise that, sadly, some marriages do fail for a variety of reasons. The Church does marry those who are divorced; however, the priest who would be conducting your marriage service will want to talk frankly with you about the past and your hopes for the future before making a decision.
There is a wedding rehearsal usually in the week preceding your service. The priest will meet you, together with your families and attendants (bridesmaids, best men etc.) and will explain the logistics of the day.
The text for the service is available here
You will need to choose at least one Bible reading (a selection is available here). You can also have other readings (such as a poem) with the agreement of the minister. There are some available here.
Your wedding can be enhanced by the organist and choir who can both lead the congregation in singing hymns as well as singing choral pieces to accompany parts of the service. It’s also possible to discuss having a CD of your choice played during parts of the service. You can discuss the possibilities with the minister.
There is more information about wedding music and readings here
As a rough guide – and it will depend on exactly what you have in the service – a wedding might last between 50 minutes and an hour. However, you will need to allow a bit longer than this as you may well want photographs taken as you leave the church and it can take quite a long time to get people together and rearrange dresses etc.!
Wedding, of course, is only the beginning of your journey through married life. The church will be praying for you by name in the run-up to your wedding, and we would be glad to be there for you later on – if, for instance, you have children and would like to think about having them baptised. You will always be warmly welcome back to St Peter’s for services or events. We can also offer support, conversation, and prayer if you find things a bit difficult later on.
Lord of love,
we pray for those who are preparing for marriage.
Be with them in all their planning
and on their wedding day.
Give them your love in their hearts
throughout their married life together,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
adapted from Common Worship |
