"We Will," says CofE

Getting married in church couldn’t be easier – or more important. This is the message from the Church of England which now offers couples a much wider range of church venues and a new online resource as they prepare for their special day.

From this day forward, thanks to the Marriage Measure becoming law (October 1), the CofE offers couples a wider wedding welcome both before and after the big day through its network of 16,000 churches and the new website.

“The Church is in a unique position, it offers something couples cannot get in a hotel or stately home, and tries to demonstrate its care about not just the big day, but all the days afterwards,” says Sue Burridge the Archbishops’ Council’s marriage adviser commenting on research which shows that 44 per cent of the general population agree the Church should support marriages before the wedding day (as well as after the day too). The research by the Archbishops’ Council’s Weddings Project also reveals nine out of 10 rated their church wedding experience as good to excellent.

The Bishop of Reading the Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell says that golf clubs and country houses should watch out!

“Getting married in church just got easier. People who are serious about getting married naturally want a marriage ceremony and a setting which is equally serious. Only the church provides this; but until now it has been difficult to get married in church unless it is in the parish where you live or where you regularly worship. But from today those who have a connection with the church can be married in the church where they have that connection. This is good news. Loads of people want something only the church can offer: God’s blessing on their marriage. Now it will be easier to provide it. Golf clubs and country houses, you have been warned!”

As many more people will be getting married far away from home, and also in line with what couples want, the Weddings Project has developed a range of resources for test in two trial areas, the Diocese of Bradford and the Archdeaconry of Buckingham in Oxford Diocese, in the first year of the new law.

Under the previous marriage law couples had a right to marry in the Church of England in the parish church where one or both of them lived whether they were baptised or not, and whether they were churchgoers are not. To marry in any other parish required a special licence or six months of regular attendance followed by entry on the local church electoral roll.

The General Synod decided that the existing laws were too restrictive in a mobile society and took the initiative to change them. Synod wanted churches all over England to be free to celebrate more weddings and support more marriages.

www.yourchurchwedding.org

www.cofe.anglican.org/marriagemeasure

Couples are now welcome to marry in a CofE church if:

• one of them was baptised or prepared for confirmation in the parish;
• one of them has ever lived in the parish for six months or more;
• one of them has at any time regularly attended public worship in the parish for six months or more;
• one of their parents has lived in the parish for six months or more in their child’s lifetime;
• one of their parents has regularly attended public worship there for six months or more in their child’s lifetime;
• their parents or grandparents were married in the parish.

Gospel choir singing wedding favourites at St Laurence’s Church, Reading to celebrate the launch of the Church of England Marriage Measure on the day the law changed. The event was covered by the BBC and a range of broadcasters.