Holy Matrimony
The joining of two human beings in holy matrimony is one of the great causes for celebration in the church. Drawing on the teaching of scripture and the Church throughout the ages, the Church in Wales holds that marriage is a gift from God, and it is our privilege to celebrate this with you. If you are looking to get married in the Heart of Monmouthshire, we welcome the chance to offer you God’s blessing to strengthen you as you take this first new step in life together.
We have twenty lovely buildings across the Minstry Area where wedding ceremonies may take place — from small rural churches to larger town venues — each one individual and offering a special, holy place to celebrate your wedding.
The Blessing of Marriage
If you’re already married, or if you’re planning to have a civil ceremony, whether in the UK or abroad, the Church would still love to help you celebrate by offering God’s blessing for your marriage.
If you would like to have your civil marriage blessed, there are no legal preliminaries, and the service is available to all, including same sex couples.
A marriage blessing can be designed either as a simple, low-key service or to have a similar feel to a wedding — with hymns and songs, readings, flowers, and bells (if available) — or anywhere in between.
We would be delighted to chat with you about what’s involved and discuss what your ceremony might look like.
f.a.q.
You have questions. wE have answers.
These may not be the only things you want to know, but we’ll try to make a good start. Feel free to ask anything you like in the comments section of the enquiry form (link below).
It is a legal requirement that couples marrying in church should have a qualifying connection to the Parish Church. This will typically mean that one of the partners meets one of the following conditions:
- you live in the parish.
- you worship in the church and have joined the electoral roll.
- you were baptised in the parish.
- you were confirmed in the parish.
- your parents or grandparents were married in the church.
- you or a parent previously lived here for six months or more.
- you or a parent previously attended worship here for six months or more.
If you are concerned about meeting these conditions, please feel free to be in touch and we’ll see how we can help you.
Yes! Human lives are messy; the Church proclaims redemption. Once upon a time, divorce was a bar to a church wedding, but much has changed, and (thankfully) those days are long gone. Today you will find clergy here who are happy to preside over a second marriage ceremony and will be more than willing to chat through any concerns you may have. Please be in touch.
The good news is this: yes, we can and will bless your marriage or, indeed, your civil partnership. The not-so-stellar news is that we are not (yet?) allowed by law to conduct marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples. If you would like your marriage blessed in church, you’ll need to have a civil ceremony first with the registrar. But you will find clergy here who are happy to bless your union and ask for God’s presence within it. Please do not hesitate to contact us; we want to help.
Yes, of course. Unless you have other creative ideas — in which case, feel free to chat with us — this will look largely like the marriage ceremony, only with the vows conducted in the past tense (as an acknowledgement and celebration, rather than a fresh vow).
Absolutely. We’d be delighted to celebrate with you in this way. Just be in touch so we can discuss with you what the ceremony will look like.
Fees vary from year to year, but we advise you to set aside £750-£800. The standard fees for a church wedding are set annually by the Welsh Government and the Church in Wales and tend to increase with inflation. In addition to the statutory fees, our fees also cover the organist and a couple of our people to assist on the day.
For the vast majority of couples (assuming both are British nationals), the answer is “no”. Anglican clergy are authorised to conduct weddings in their own right, without need for a registrar to be present. However, there are cases where foreign nationals need permission before marrying and a document from the registrar called a “Marriage Schedule”. We would advise all foreign nationals to check with the Registrar and the Home Office well before the ceremony to see what additional procedures may be necessary. We will work with you in this process.
Most church weddings for British nationals require banns to called beforehand; banns is a legal procedure where we simply announce in church your intention to marry for three weeks running. In the case of foreign nationals or weddings that must be arranged very quickly, it may be required that you get married by licence, rather than banns. In these cases, the process is fairly straightforward: you simply demonstrate your identity and freedom to marry to a church official, who will issue the licence granting permission to marry in church. If you have any queries, the clergy here will be happy to help.
Ready? Take the first step …
To enquire about booking your wedding service with us, please click below: