Wedding Research

In 2006/7 Communications and MPA commissioned research from the Henley Centre Headlight Vision, a respected market research company, into understanding marriage, weddings and church weddings. The aims of the research were to understand the barriers and drivers for these issues and to understand the implications for the Church's communication with couples interested in a church ceremony. The research found that there is a need for 'clear, coherent and unapologetic communication about what the Church does in fact stand for in relation to marriage'. Implicit understandings about who is entitled to a church wedding need to be made explicit, the researchers found, and couples need to be reassured that the Church is happy to marry them.

Vicars should be encouraged and trained to welcome and support couples and to respond to the different needs of couples including non-traditional church ceremonies. The church should emphasise its unique selling point of the personal nature of the ceremony offered. However, the researchers also found that the church is well placed to help couples prepared for marriage and in planning the wedding day.

Research document (11MB)

Details of a training module for CME

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