Weddings

Getting Married at All Saints Anchorsholme

Can I get married in Church?

There are two qualifications that entitle you to be married in your Parish Church:

• At least one of you must live in the parish or be a member of the church.
• Neither of you is divorced. Although there is no automatic right to entitle you to be married if either of you is divorced, the church has a policy of considering each enquiry individually.

Can I get married in the parish where my parents live and where I grew up?

Yes. In simple term, you must reside for a period of 15 consecutive days in the parish (stay with your parents/relatives, friends). The Vicar will advise you of the details.
 

Can I get married where I grew up, although neither I nor my parents live there any more?

Yes, if the conditions outlined above are fulfilled and the Vicar agrees.

When can I get married in Church?

Weddings can be conducted at the church on most Saturdays. Weddings can also be arranged on week-days, and under special circumstances on Sundays.
 

How much does it cost?

The basic fee is agreed nationally by the Church of England each year. Additional church fees will be added for the caretaker, the organist, clerk (the person who prepares the legal documents), for flower arranging, the printing of an order of service, and for heating and lighting. The Vicar will tell you the exact fee for your wedding as there are certain ‘extras’. Typically the total cost in the year 2000 is about £275. The fee must be paid in advance, normally at the wedding rehearsal a week before the wedding.
 

How To Go About Organising Your Wedding

Please contact the Church Administrator:
Sue Watt on office@anchorsholme.org.uk
or telephone 01253 823904

A meeting will be arranged to complete an application form with you and discuss various arrangements with you. This will normally take about an hour. You will then be asked to attend a wedding and marriage preparation course. This will consist of several meetings to discuss preparation for the wedding, preparation for the marriage and a wedding rehearsal, each lasting about an hour.

Banns of Marriage

There is a legal requirement to declare your intention of marrying. This is normally done by going to the Register Office where are Certificate is displayed continuously for 21 days or by having the Banns of Marriage read in your Parish Church on 3 consecutive Sundays within three months of the wedding. Normally, to be married in the Church of England, banns are read in the parish churches of both partners. If you both live in Anchorsholme, the banns need only be read at All Saints Church.

The Vicar will arrange for the banns to be read on dates that are convenient for you. You will be expected to attend at these three services.

If one of you lives in another parish, the banns must also be read in that parish. The Vicar will help you identify the other parish, and who to contact so you can arrange for the banns to be read in that parish church. There is a fee to pay for the banns to be read in the other church. In 2000 this fee is £23.00. Once read, you must get a Banns Certificate from the Vicar of the other parish and present it to the Vicar of Anchorsholme. This is a legal requirement for the wedding to proceed.

Planning the Service

At the initial meeting the vicar will discuss various plans for the wedding service. A typical order of service may be as follows:

Bridal march
Hymn
Wedding ceremony
Hymn
Bible reading
Prayers
Hymn
Signing the register
Wedding march
The service normally lasts for about 40 minutes.
 

Music

You can choose your own hymns for the service. Normally, there are three hymns. If you have difficulty in choosing, the Vicar will help you.

You can choose the music played as the bride comes into church, and when you leave the church together at the end of the service. If you have problems deciding, the organist is willing to help. Click here for a list of some of the popular wedding music. There is normally no choir for the wedding.

Choice of Service

You can choose either the traditional or the modern order of service. The difference between them is mainly in the style of the language. Click to see the words of the Modern and Traditional Services.

Choosing your Bible Reading

You may also choose the Bible Reading used in your wedding service. The Vicar will assist you if necessary. Click here for a list of popular Bible readings.

The signing of the register

The signing of the register will take place in church in full view of the whole congregation. During this time the organist will normally play quietly in the background. Two witnesses must witness your signatures and sign the registers themselves. The witnesses must be aged 18 or over. Normally the chief bridesmaid and best man act as witnesses. At the service you will be given your Wedding Certificate which you will have just signed. This is an important legal document which you need to take care of.

Printed Order of Service

We can produce a printed order of service for you for a fee of £20.00. If you wish to go to a printer for one, you will need to agree the words to be printed with the Vicar. Make sure you have enough copies of your order of service for your guests, for the Vicar, organist and verger, and for any well-wishers who may attend the wedding ceremony but not the reception. At the end of this booklet is a typical order of service.

Photographs

You may not photograph or record the wedding ceremony. However, photographs are allowed before the service starts as the bride processes up the aisle, during the signing of the register, and as the couple proceed down the aisle together. The same regulations apply to video recordings.

Flowers

All flower arrangement plans must be discussed with the flower arranger. The Vicar will let you know who this is for your wedding at the initial meeting. You can agree with the flower arranger how much money you wish to spend on flowers. A fee will be included in the wedding fee for the flower arranger’s services. The flower arrangements must be left in the church following the service.

The Rehearsal

This will normally take place in church about a week before the wedding. You must pay the total fee for the wedding at the rehearsal. Only the two of you need attend.

The rehearsal is to reassure you if you are nervous – not to make you more nervous. Don’t worry if you forget everything the Vicar tells you at the rehearsal. He will guide you through the service on your Big Day. You need only remember to turn up on time and bring the ring or rings with you!

The Wedding Day

The groom and best man should arrive about 30 minutes before the wedding. This gives time for photographs, to check the registers and to tell the best man what to do.

The bride should plan to arrive about 7-8 minutes before the start of the service. This gives the photographer sufficient time for photographs. The bride will then be ready to come up the aisle on time!

We ask that guests do not take photographs during the actual wedding service. At the end of the service during the signing and as the couple leave the church photographs may be taken.