Arranging a Wedding at St.John's
We will be delighted to talk through with you the possibility of you getting married at St.John's
We recommend that you start by looking at the Church of England's website yourchurchwedding
Where you can get married is determined by Parliament which regulates these matters by law. You can get married in the parish where you live (or have lived) or where you worship (or have worshipped).
There are other ways in which you can establish a connection with a particular church, including if it is a parish in which your parents have lived or worshipped during your lifetime. If you live in our parish, it is a very simple; if you do not, then please contact our parish office and our Parish Administrator will be in touch with you to guide you through the options.
You can find out which parish you live in by going to the Parish Finder website and entering your postcode.
The Administrator can talk through with you whether it is possible to get married in St.John's and, if not, which churches you could get married in. She will check to see if you are both British. If you are not, then she will guide you through how you might be able to obtain a licence to get married here. She will ask if either of you has been married before (with a former partner still living). If you have, then the Vicar will talk though things with you before we take it any further, but we are very understanding of these matters and do marry people in church who have been married before.
Please note that new Immigration Laws mean that we have to establish your nationality and so we will ask to see your passports. If either of you does not hold nationality of a country within the EU, we will advise you on the process you need to follow.
The Church of England is not yet permitted to do same-sex weddings, but we are an Inclusive Church and can bless your relationship in an existing church service. We are hoping the Church of England will also move to a position of allowing standalone blessing services, and if so, we will offer them. St.John's welcomes everyone through our doors and, if you are considering a same-sex marriage elsewhere but you want our clergy to pray with you on your wedding day, we will be very happy to talk through with you what can be offered.
In terms of the average costs of a wedding day, the fees for the church are not high. Some of these fees are set by Parliament and some by the local Parochial Church Council. Please contact the office for current fees.
The clergy are only too happy to talk all this through with you on the phone or to arrange a face-to-face meeting with you. Please contact our parish office to arrange a time to meet with you to discuss your requirements and look at possible dates. You are advised not to make any firm arrangements with a reception venue until a date has been confirmed with the church.
We also offer Wedding Thanksgivings / Renewal of Vows Services – perhaps for special occasions such as a Silver, Ruby or Golden Wedding. Sometimes, a couple is just in a place where a renewal of wedding vows may be a helpful service to have after a difficult time. Again, you can discuss these with a member of the clergy.