We are delighted that you are thinking about the possibility of having your wedding at St John’s. Here are a few guidelines to help you prepare for your special day…
Why get married at St. John's?
Wherever you choose to get married, you make a public declaration of life-long commitment to love each other faithfully and you take on a new legal status as husband and wife. Family and friends come along to witness and celebrate this with you. If you choose to get married at St. John's, there is the added dimension of showing that you desire and welcome God's involvement and the support and encouragement of the Christian church family too.
Can I get married at St. John’s?
By law, you are entitled to be married in a Church of England church if you can show
That one of you:
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has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
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was baptised in the parish concerned or
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was prepared for confirmation in the parish or
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has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months
or That one of your parents, at any time after you were born:
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has lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
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has regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months
or That one of your parents or grandparents:
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was married in the parish
To find out if you live in St. John’s Parish see a map of the parish boundaries here or check the A Church Near You website.
If you are unable to fulfil these requirements, you should contact your own Parish Church. However, in certain exceptional circumstances you may still marry at St. John’s under a Special Licence - see the Church of England wedding website for more details.
If either of you are a non EU national then special conditions apply and you will need to discuss these with the vicar before we can agree to marry you at St. John’s.
Banns of Marriage
Before you can be married at St. John’s you must have your Banns read out in church for three consecutive Sundays during the three months before your wedding. Banns are an announcement of your intention to marry and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place.
Banns need to be read at St. John’s and (if either of you live in another Parish) you own Parish Church. We will arrange for the Banns to be read at St. John’s, but it is your responsibility to make the arrangement for the Banns to be read elsewhere, and for Banns Certificates to be issued. In some exceptional cases there may be an alternative to Banns - see the Church of England wedding website for details.
There are also other requirements (age, nationality, and current marital status) that you must fulfil before you may legally marry in a Church of England church. These are outlined on the website and the Vicar will discuss these with you when you arrange to meet him.
How to organise your wedding
Firstly, you need to arrange a preliminary meeting with Peter Mackenzie, the Vicar to discuss your plans. You can contact him
When you meet with Peter, he will confirm your eligibility to be married at St. John’s, discuss with you your plans for the day and agree a date and time for the wedding.
Once your date has been agreed, the church office admin staff will send you a confirmation letter together with:
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A wedding application form – you will need to complete this form and arrange to bring it to the Church Office together with original proof of address, age and nationality.
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A banns form – to be returned to the church office indicating any preferred dates for the reading of your banns.
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A list of the fees for weddings in the Church of England – payment is due in the week before your wedding.
You will also need to arrange for the Banns of Marriage to be read in your own Parish Church(es) if either of you do not reside in St. John’s Parish, and for Banns Certificates to be issued and forwarded to us.
Nearer the date of your wedding, a couple from St. John’s will contact you to arrange a Marriage Preparation evening.
A couple of days before your wedding, the priest conducting your marriage will organise a rehearsal.
Hopefully this page has answered all your questions, but please do get in touch with us if we can help in any other way.
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