Current marriage law states that you can get married:

In the parish in which you Reside

In a parish where you are on the electoral roll (ie you have been regularly (at least two Sundays each month) attending one of the churches for 6 months and have filled in a form to say that you consider this to be your church).

From 1st October 2008, in addition to the above two criteria you will be able to get married:

If one of you:

• was baptised in the parish (and has been entered in the church register); or
• has been confirmed and the confirmation has been entered in a church register book belonging to the parish. (This would have been done on the basis that the person concerned was prepared for confirmation in the parish); or
• has at any time had his or her usual place of residence in the parish for at least 6 months; or
• has at any time habitually (at least two Sundays each month) attended public worship in the parish for at least 6 months;

If one of your parents has at any time during your lifetime:

• had his or her usual place of residence in the parish for at least 6 months; or
• habitually (at least two Sundays each month) attended public worship in the parish for at least 6 months;

If your parent or grandparent was married in the parish.

(In this list references to being baptised, confirmed or married, or attending public worship, all refer to Church of England services.)

Divorce is not a prohibition to getting married in church but the Rector will need to meet with you to ensure that the current relationship was not the cause of the breakdown of the previous marriage or that your re-marriage will cause any other kind of scandal within the parish. You will need to be able to produce a decree absolute proving that you are no longer married.

The Church marriage service invites God to become the third partner in your relationship. This means that you will each need to be willing to take the Christian Faith seriously, and we would encourage you to become active members of our church (or the church where you live) so that as a church fellowship we can get to know you and support you in your marriage.

You will be required to attend a marriage preparation day (usually a Saturday in February) which provides opportunity for you as a couple to spend time together discussing issues related to your marriage, and to meet with other couples who are preparing for marriage.

If you can fulfil the above criteria and would like to book a wedding at either St Bartholomew’s you will need to contact the Rector.

Wherever possible we only take one wedding booking per Saturday (in order to avoid complications of two wedding parties getting mixed up together), however for popular summer dates we will do two weddings on the same day, and the times will need to be negotiated carefully. When booking your wedding we cannot guarantee that it will be the Rector who will take the service, as weddings are booked so far in advance, that holidays etc. have not usually been booked. We do not accept wedding bookings for Sundays or Bank Holidays. Monday to Friday weddings can be arranged, but we cannot guarantee that you will be able to have specific flower colours (see below), or that the bell ringers will be available.

Marriage is a wonderful gift of God. We look forward to meeting with you and celebrating your special day with you.

Flowers at Wedding Services

Flowers for wedding service will be arranged by the church flower arrangers. You will be invited to specify a colour scheme, which the flower arrangers will do their best to meet. There are four price bands which you can choose from (1. Sanctuary only, 2. Sanctuary and Nave, 3. Sanctuary, Nave and Porch, 4. Sanctuary, Nave, porch and Lychgate). See Fees Chart for more information. Under exceptional circumstance it may be possible to arrange for a commercial florist to have access to the building to do your wedding flowers – please speak with the Rector about this as soon as possible.

Photographs at Wedding Services

Photography is not permitted during the actual service, except for non flash photography from the back of church. Your photographer can take as many photographs as they like in the run up to the entry of the bride, and again at the end of the service i.e. after the registers have been signed.

Videos at Wedding Services

Videos are permitted, but you will need a licence as all music is subject to copyright law. The alternative to a licence is declaration stating that the video “is for private and domestic use only and will not be used for any commercial purpose or to be shown in public” – we have a form for this. The video operative will be asked to be stationery throughout the service, so as not to detract from the act of worship. There is an additional copyright cost for any wedding which is recorded (see Fees Chart).

Music at Wedding Services

Most couples request the presence of our church organist for hymns and music at the entry of the bride and exit of the couple. If you do not require the church organist you must let us know as soon as possible (and preferably 3 months before the date of your wedding), you also need to let us know if you have an alternative form of music e.g. a family member or friend who will play the organ, a string quartet etc. etc. Some couples request their favourite piece of music to be played on CD during the signing of the registers – unfortunately we do not have the equipment to make this possible.

Readings at Wedding Services

It is a requirement that there is at least one Bible Reading within the service. If you would like to have an additional reading e.g. a poem etc, this is permissible by agreement with the Rector.

Confetti at Wedding Services