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Church weddings

Getting married in a Church of England

  • You should contact the church where you want to be married and agree the date and time of the wedding.
  • If you are both British citizens you will “give banns” at the church which will give the legal permission to be married and you do not have to contact the register office.

If one or both of the couple being married are not British citizens then the church will refer you to the register office to obtain the legal permission to be married by “notice of marriage” rather than “by banns”.

  • The church will issue a marriage document which the couple being married and the two witnesses will sign at the marriage ceremony.
  • The church will then arrange for the marriage document to be returned to the register office and we will record the marriage on the national marriage register.
  • You will be able to purchase marriage certificates by applying by post to us or from our website copy certificates page. You cannot obtain marriage certificates in person at the register office or apply on the telephone.
  • You can now inform people you have been married by showing them your marriage certificate which is also evidence of a change of name.

Getting married in a church or religious building other than a Church of England

  • You should contact the church or religious building where you want to be married and agree the date and time of the wedding.
  • The church will tell you to contact the register office to arrange to “give notice of marriage” which gives you the legal permission to be married.
  • You will be asked to collect a “marriage schedule” and take it to the person who is marrying you. This is a record of the marriage that the couple being married and the witnesses will sign on the day of the marriage.
  • The church or place of marriage will arrange for the marriage schedule to be returned to us and we will record the marriage on the national marriage register.
  • You will be able to purchase marriage certificates by applying by post to us or from our website copy certificates page. You cannot obtain marriage certificates in person at the register office or on the telephone.
  • You can now inform people you have been married by showing them your marriage certificate which is also evidence of a change of name.

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