Marriage & Blessings

A Church Wedding

Marriage is a significant step in a relationship and your wedding day should be one of the most important and memorable of your life. It is the most joyous of occasions and deserves the best you can give it. It’s not about the flowers, the dress, the reception venue or any of the things that might use up your hard earned savings, as lovely as these things may be as extras.

When you get married in a Church it is so much more than any alternative can offer – it is certainly more than just a legal union between two partners. A church wedding draws upon all the richness, symbolism and tradition of the Church and offers a spiritual sanctity that is quite unparalleled.

Marriage is a sacrament of the Church -a visible sign in which God bestows upon us his life giving grace. Through Marriage, God spiritually joins two individuals by means of their solemn vows, their shared love and His blessing, so that they may help each other fulfil themselves, their love overflow to neighbours, family and friends and be there for each other in good times and bad.

Getting married in the Box River Benefice

Our churches have many weddings every year. We are fortunate enough to be able to combine the most stunning holy and ancient venues with a deep and engaging ceremony and spiritual experience (and even a little light hearted humour along the way). A church wedding is always so much more than any alternative. A church wedding combines worship, ceremony, prayer and God’s blessing with civil and legal registration. In so doing, it implants all present into the long-standing Christian tradition of marriage, the traditions that have been the bedrock of society for almost as long. We do all we can to make the occasion as enjoyable and meaningful as possible. We warmly welcome anyone who wishes to get married at any of our churches and we will work with you to ensure that your ceremony is a happy occasion and a day to be treasured.

We also offer the opportunity to have your marriage blessed in a special service of blessing. This is especially popular for those who were already married in a civil ceremony and wish to have it solemnised in church or those wish to have your marriage blessed and renew your wedding vows after many years of marriage or following a particularly difficult period in their marriage which they have now thankfully overcome and you wish to acknowledge before God.

Wedding Blessings (Dedication and Affirmation after a Civil Marriage)

Sometimes couples get married elsewhere, but wish to have their relationship recognised by God in a Parish Church and for it to be enfolded by his grace, through prayer and affirmation. This is called ‘Dedication and Affirmation after a Civil Marriage’ or sometimes commonly referred to as a ‘Wedding Blessing’.

We warmly welcome all enquires regarding such ceremonies. Whatever your situation, it would be our privilege to explore the possibility of conducting a dedication and affirmation ceremony with you and your partner. We believe that God wishes to enfold every committed relationship in his loving care and protection. Such a ceremony in Church enables your union to be enfolded by God’s grace, which is important for the long-term health and commitment of every relationship.

All we ask is that you attend church in the lead up to your ceremony and afterwards, so that you stay in touch with the blessings God bestows.

If you would like to check eligibility, please see the section below.

A Few Quotes From Couples Following Their Wedding

‘You were so calming and kind in the lead up to the wedding, and on the day you really helped with the ‘nerves’!!! So a huge thank you again for making it such a memorable wedding day!!!’ (S & M, May 21)

‘We can’t thank you enough for all your support, before and on our wedding day. You made us both, and all our guests, feel relaxed and at ease, creating the most amazing day for us. You really did make our day extra special and a loved memory forever, so thank you.’ (S & H, July 21)

‘Thank you so much for conducting the most beautiful wedding service for us. You received a great deal of compliments from our guests!’ (E & S, Aug 2021)

‘Thank you so much for the amazing service yesterday. We both had the most fantastic best day of our lives and you and the ceremony were a huge part of it.’ (P & L, Sept 21)

‘Thank you for your kindness and guidance both before and during our wedding blessing. We were both very moved by your words in the service.’ (E & J, Oct 21)

Planning Your Wedding or Blessing

The Parish Priest (Vicar),our Benefice Administrator Administrator and our Organist will help you to plan your wedding service, and we will offer advice drawn from our experience to help ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible on the day.

A wealth of information can be found at: http://www.yourchurchwedding.org  this can provide some helpful material when we look to tailor your wedding to your needs in a way that fits the ambience of our beautiful churches and the requirements of a Christian ceremony.

PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU BOOK THE CHURCH BEFORE MAKING ANY OTHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR YOUR WEDDING TO ENSURE THAT THE DATE IS AVAILABLE. Due to popularity and conflicting demands, we regret that availability of the church and the Vicar cannot be guaranteed until you have secured your booking.

Next Steps and Fees

If you are interested in getting married at one of our churches, please contact our Benefice Administrator at boxriverbenefice@gmail.com, who will respond to your email as quickly as possible.

As a Church of England Church, we are required by law to charge statutory fees. There are also additional charges for a verger (who sets up the church and works behind the scenes during the service), an organist, bell ringers, the choir and heating (if required). There will also be an additional charge if you wish to make a professional video recording of the ceremony due to copyright law and performance rights.

In order to secure your wedding booking both partners will need to provide two forms of identification in person (either a Birth Certificate, Passport, Full Driving License, Utility bill; one of which should include a photo and one should confirm your address).

Eligibility

By law, you can marry in one of our churches if you can show that at least one of you:
1. has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months
2. was baptised in the parish;
3. was prepared for confirmation in the parish;
4. Are on the electoral role of the parish; or
5. has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months.
Alternatively you can also marry in our church if:
6. one of your parents, at any time after you were born, has lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months; or has regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months or
7. if one of your parents or grandparents were married in the parish

We ask all couples to attend church at least once a month in the lead up to their wedding.

Legal Requirements

1. If you are both UK citizens and are eligible for marriage in one of our churches, it is a legal requirement for your marriage banns to be called in the parish church. If one or both of you are resident in a separate parish, your banns will need to be called in that parish as well.
2. If you are under 18 years old you will need your parents’ written consent to be married and by law you cannot be married until you are 16.
3. A wedding can take place on any day of the week (subject to availability and agreement with the Vicar), but must take place between 8.00am and 6.00pm.
4. If one or both of the people marrying is a foreign national or if your marriage is to take place too soon for Banns to be read, then you will need to apply for a licence. The Vicar will advise you which licence is necessary. You will normally need to contact the Church to arrange your wedding at least 6 months before the date you hope to secure for your wedding. PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU BOOK THE CHURCH BEFORE MAKING ANY OTHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR YOUR WEDDING.
5. The following relatives are not allowed to marry by law. If they do, the marriage will be automatically void even if they do not know they are related: a child (including an adopted child); a parent (including an adopted parent); a brother, sister, half-brother or half-sister; a grandparent; a grandchild; a brother’s, sister’s, half-brother’s or half-sister’s child.
6. If you are previously divorced then you will need to be prepared to speak honestly to the Vicar regarding the breakdown of your previous marriage. In order to book a wedding, you will also need to provide evidence of the legal dissolvement of your previous marriage, in the form of a Decree Absolute (the law does not allow any other documentation to be used).

Marriage Banns

If you are to be married in one of our churches, or if you are to be married at another Church of England church, and one or both of you are resident in our parishes, it is a legal requirement for your Banns of Marriage to be called. Banns will be called over three Sundays within three months of your wedding (these do not have to be consecutive, although they usually are). This will take place during the main morning service.
For your banns to be read, please follow the following steps:

1. To check if you live in the parish go to: http://www.achurchnearyou.com and type your postcode into the search engine.
2. If you live within the parish email our Benefice Administrator to complete the form no later than three months before your marriage date.
4. The Benefice Administrator will contact you with dates for the three Sundays on which your banns will be called. We ask you to attend the service to hear them read.
5. After the third reading of the banns, you will be contacted to arrange a time to collect and pay for a banns certificate. For the latest fees, please see the latest Parish fees table.
6. The certificate should be given to the clergyperson conducting your wedding before your wedding date.

May God’s blessing be upon you both as you begin planning your special day.

We hope to see you very soon!