Getting married at Marcham or Garford

All Saints Church, Marcham    St Luke’s Church, Garford

Congratulations on your engagement!

 

This page will explain a bit about what you need to know about getting married in one of our two churches, how you should go about it, and what it will cost. The church is able to conduct the marriage of anyone who lives in the parishes or qualifies to marry in one of our churches by “qualifying connection.” The website www.yourchurchwedding.org has lots more information about marriage and church weddings and is worth checking out.

If either of you has a former spouse still living then please be in contact with us ASAP. Depending on the circumstances, we can usually marry divorcees in church, but please be prepared that we will need to discuss the circumstances of the former relationship(s) first.
 

1.  Banns and other preliminaries

To get married in church you need either a certificate of banns or a common license (usually when one or other of the couple is not a UK or EU national).  These are to ensure that the couple getting married can do so legally. Most couples are married after banns, which banns must be read out in the parish church(es) where each of the couple lives, and the church where you are due to be married.  T
 
In 2021, the way marriages are registered in England and Wales changed. They are now registered electronically through the county Registry Office. The minister will complete the “Marriage Document” (MD) just before the wedding takes place. At the wedding the MD will be signed by the couple, two witnesses, and the minister just like church registers used to be. After the service the minister sends the completed and signed MD to the local Registry Office. The marriage is then registered electronically, and the couple can then apply to the Registry Office for a marriage certificate(s).
 

2.  The Wedding Service

The service we use is the standard Church of England service to be found in the Common Worship Book. Again, you can take a look at the website mentioned above to get an idea of what it will be like.  Allow about an hour for the service (not including the photographs afterwards).  You can choose any number of Christian hymns/songs (usually at least 2). There will be a full rehearsal of the service sometime in the week before the wedding (usually the evening before), but it is quite simple, and the minister will talk you through it all on the day.
 

3.  Music and Bells

You will need to spend a little time talking with the organist and/or minster working out what hymns you want for the service, the music for the bride’s entrance, the signing of the MD, and your exit together at the end of the service.  It is possible to have a choir brought in for the service to boost the singing, but there would be an extra charge for this (see below). The church bells can be rung for your wedding at the end of the service. See details of costings below.
 

4.  Cost

As from the beginning of 2024 the costs are as follows (most of these are statutory fees that are set by the Church of England):

 

Statutory fees
Publication of Banns	£36
Certificate of Banns (only required if your parish(s) of residency is not this parish)	£18
Marriage Service (this covers the cost of the minister and the use of the church building)	£531
Extras
Organist: Ring Eric Dunford on 01865 391439	£70
Bells: Separate payment to Marcham Ringers	£120
Heating (Oct-April)	£50
Audio visual support (£100 if livestreaming required)	£70
Flowers:	Variable

         

An invoice will be sent out to you a couple of weeks before your wedding, and payment is expected by the time of the rehearsal in the week of the wedding. If at any point you think you will struggle to pay these costs please do get in touch and we can discuss it.
 

5. Flowers

We have an experienced team of flower arrangers at All Saints’ Marcham. The church flower arrangers will be happy to decorate the church for your wedding, subject to their commitments and availability.  They cannot provide bouquets or buttonholes, but we can recommend a local florist, Jane Belcher, who would be able to provide these. (Jane Belcher can be contacted on 01865-391799). You are of course welcome to make your own plans, but whatever you decide you will need to talk to us and meet us in the church.  Our flower arrangers do not charge for their work above the cost of the flowers, and any profit made goes into the general funds. Please speak to us as soon as possible to discuss your plans, and for further information.

5. Photographs and audio-visual

Photographs are an important part of the day. We allow photographs to be taken during the service. We allow other guests to take photos as well, but discreetly and only from their seats. (Your professional ones will be far better anyway and you will want value for money!)
We allow video recordings and live-streaming of services, but not with extra lighting please. There is Wi-Fi access at All Saints but not at St Luke’s. Please ask the photographer(s) / video folks to make contact with the minister before the service starts.  In All Saints church there is a video screen that can be used in the service for hymn words and photo displays if you wish.
 

6. Confetti and car-parking

We ask that confetti is thrown outside the church building only, and preferably at the road end of the church path. Please make sure that whatever your guests throw it is definitely fully bio-degradable ie. not plastic or foil-based. We have no formal car-parking, and so we do ask you to advise your guests to park with care, and not to obstruct gateways. 
 

7. Marriage Preparation

Most couples appreciate the opportunity to talk through their expectations and concerns about married life in the run up to their wedding. For this reason all churches are required to offer some form of marriage preparation. This is usually done by the vicar at a time suitable for you.
 

8. What next?

If you wish to get married in All Saints', please contact the vicar Nick Weldon on vicar@allsaintsmarcham.org or 01865 391962.

We hope that this information is helpful. If you have any queries about anything at any stage we will be glad to help. Please contact the church office directly if you need more information.