Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4.9
Most people get married in church after banns have been read in the main service on three Sundays during the three months before the wedding. They are often but not always read on three consecutive Sundays. They must be read in the parish church(es) where you live, as well as the church in which you are getting married, if that is different.
If you live here but are getting married by banns elsewhere
You need to contact the Administrator who will arrange for your banns to be read here. We need to know both your full names and contact details, the parish church where the wedding is taking place, the date of the wedding and your marital status (this last we need for our records, but it is not read out in church). We will invoice you for reading the banns and the certificate, and let you know the dates when your banns will be read. We would be delighted to see you at any of those services. You may find that we are not reading your banns here on the same Sundays as they are being read in the other church(es). You will need to contact the relevant Church Warden to collect your certificate so you can take it to the church where you are marrying.
If you are getting married here and both of you live here
We will arrange for your banns to be read, and let you know when it will be.
If you are getting married here and one or both of you lives elsewhere
We will arrange for your banns to be read here and let you know when it will be. You must arrange for the banns to be read also in the parish church(es) where you live. Please make sure you find out accurately which parish(es) you live in, and let us know as we need this information. You can find out which parish(es) you live in on the Church of England website home page. You must contact the church(es) to arrange for them to read your banns and give you the certificate(s) afterwards. Then you must give the certificate(s) to the officiating minister before the wedding, for example at the rehearsal. This is a legal requirement and without the certificate(s) from the other church(es) your wedding cannot take place. So please don’t forget!
If you move house before the wedding
You must let the Administrator know your new address straight away. If you have moved into a different parish you will need to ask the new parish to read your banns, and you may need to inform the parish where you lived previously that you no longer need their help. If there is not enough time to rearrange the banns you may need to get a licence instead. It is better to avoid doing this at the last minute if at all possible.
