It is both a privilege and a duty for your vicar to join a man and a woman in marriage. The good news is that you can marry in church regardless of your beliefs, whether or not you are christened and whether or not you have been a regular churchgoer.
Because getting married gives you a whole new legal status with many benefits, there are considerations for the vicar to make in both UK civil and church law. There are some basic requirements but there could be complications if:-
- One or both of you is a national from a country that is outside the European Economic Area. Special procedures apply to the legal preparations for these marriages, to protect and celebrate those which are genuine and to help prevent those which are not.
- If one or both of you has been married before. There may well be a way forward for you to be re-married in church but the vicar has certain considerations in these circumstances. Read more information about having been married before.
Although same-sex marriage legislation has changed, it remains the case that it is not legally possible for same-sex couples to marry in the Church of England.
Churches are so much more than a wedding venue. They offer friendship, prayer and support before and after a wedding, whether it is a church wedding or not. Find out more about how they can support you.
