Your right to marry in your parish church
In England, almost everyone has a legal right to be married in the Church of England parish church where they live, whether or not they attend services and whether or not they have been baptised. You do not need to be a regular worshipper, and the vicar cannot turn you away simply because you are not a churchgoer. The same broad principle applies in the Church in Wales.
You can also marry in a church where you have a qualifying connection. These connections include having been baptised or confirmed there, having lived in the parish for at least six months at some point, having a parent or grandparent who was married there, or having a parent who lived or worshipped in the parish. This opens up the pretty village church your grandmother married in, provided the link can be shown.
Banns of marriage
Before a Church of England wedding, your intention to marry is normally announced in church on three Sundays in the months before the ceremony. This announcement is called the reading of the banns, and it is a legal preliminary as well as a lovely tradition: the congregation hears your names and prays for you. Banns are read in the parish where each of you lives and in the church where you will marry, if that is somewhere different. Where banns are not possible, for example when one partner is a national of another country, the church will usually arrange a common licence instead, and the clergy will guide you through it.
The paperwork on the day
Since May 2021 couples in England and Wales no longer sign a paper register in the vestry. Instead you sign a marriage schedule during the service, and the details are then entered into the civil marriage record by the register office. In practice the moment feels exactly the same: two witnesses, a signature and a round of applause.
What a church wedding costs
The Church of England publishes a national table of fees each year, so there is no haggling and no premium for a Saturday. Once the legal fee for the service, the banns and the marriage document are added together, the core cost usually comes to several hundred pounds. Optional extras such as an organist, bell ringers, a verger, flowers and heating are priced locally and agreed in advance. Even with everything included, the church is normally one of the least expensive parts of a wedding day.
Catholic and Free Church weddings
To marry in a Roman Catholic church, at least one of you will normally be Catholic, and you should speak to the parish priest at least six months ahead. Couples complete a marriage preparation course and some paperwork, and you will also need to give notice to the local register office, because the civil preliminaries for non-Anglican weddings run through the superintendent registrar. The same civil notice applies to weddings in Methodist, Baptist and other Free Church buildings, where an authorised person or registrar attends so the marriage is legally registered.
Scotland is different
Scottish marriage law does not use banns. A religious marriage in Scotland may take place anywhere the celebrant agrees, from a parish kirk to a hillside, and both of you must submit a marriage notice to the local registrar at least 29 days before the date. If you are planning a wedding north of the border, contact the minister and the registrar early and they will walk you through the timetable.
Preparation and practicalities
- Contact the church nine to eighteen months ahead; popular churches book up quickly for summer Saturdays.
- Expect to meet the vicar or priest a few times to plan the service and talk honestly about marriage. Many churches offer a short marriage preparation course, and couples consistently say it was more useful than they expected.
- Choose hymns and readings with the minister; most are delighted when couples want to make the service personal.
- Ask about confetti, photography and music rules before the day so nobody is caught out.
Ready to look for a church? Search our directory to find parish churches near you, or browse our guide to historic churches in Britain if you are dreaming of a medieval setting.