Weddings
Congratulations!
May we begin by offering you our congratulations in your decision to get married and to publicly declare your love and commitment to each other. Getting married in church is the best possible way to begin married life. It sets the wonder of human love — and it is wonderful — in the context of God’s love for us all.
The laws about who can get married and where are complex and it is very important that you contact the Vicar of St Andrew's personally to discover whether you can get married at St Andrew’s.
As the law currently stands, to get married at St Andrew’s you must fulfil one of the following two requirements:
- One or both of you must live within the Parish of St Andrew’s, Frimley Green and Mytchett; or,
- If one or both of you are an active, worshipping member of St Andrew’s and you have your name on the ‘Church Electoral Roll’, you may be able to get married at St Andrew’s even though neither of you live within the parish. (Please note that to qualify to join the Electoral Roll you will be expected to attend church on a regular basis for a period of six months and also have been baptised or christened).
We are delighted to announce that, on 1st October 2008, the Church of England Marriage Measure 2008 came into effect. While this does not establish a right for anybody to be married in any church they choose, it does extend the welcome that we are able to offer at Saint Andrew's. What the Church of England Marriage Measure 2008 does is to extend the existing legal right to be married in Saint Andrew's to cases where one or both of the couple can establish a qualifying connection with the Parish by fulfilling one of these requirements:
- was baptised in this parish;
- had his/her confirmation entered in Saint Andrew's Confirmation Register;
- has had his/her usual place of residence in this parish for at least six months;
- has, at any time, habitually attended public worship in this parish for a period of at least six months;
- during his/her lifetime has had a parent who had his or her usual place of residence in this parish for a period of at least six months, or habitually attended public worship in this parish for at least six months; or
- has a parent or grandparent who was married in this parish.
In addition to these requirements, it is also possible for some couples to get married at St Andrew’s by applying for a ‘Special Licence.’
Special Licence
If you do not fall into any of the above categories you may still be able to get married at Saint andrew's if you can demonstrate another way in which you have a genuine and real connection with the Parish. In this situation you may be able to apply for a Special Licence.
To apply for a Special Licence the minister at the church in question must be prepared to support your application and you will also need to seek the approval of the vicar(s) of the church in whose parish(s) you live. The cost of a Special Licence is approximately £135.00 and is an additional charge to the wedding fees. Please contact the Vicar for further advice.
Can I get married at St Andrew’s if I’m divorced?
At St Andrew’s we believe that we are here to show God’s love and to share God’s blessing, not to make judgements on someone’s past life. For this reason we strive to welcome people and will usually conduct the marriage of a divorcee if we are legally able to do so. If we are unable to conduct the full marriage service then we can offer you a service of ‘Blessing after a Civil Wedding’. Get in touch and we can talk through all the options without any pressure!
Booking the Church!
As soon as you have decided that you would like to get married at St Andrew’s please contact the Vicar directly. He will then arrange a time when you can meet up in person with him to complete all the necessary forms. Please book early in order to be sure of getting the required date. A year in advance is not uncommon and please do not book other venues such as the Reception before booking the Church.
Date and Time?
Most weddings take place on Saturdays, and must take place between 8.00am and 6.00pm. Whilst we do occasionally conduct weddings on Friday afternoon’s we do not hold weddings on Sunday’s due to baptisms taking place.
The Cost?
The Fees to get married at St Andrew’s are in part set locally and in part set nationally by the Archbishop’s Council. The fees for each year are reviewed in January and if you book your wedding beforehand we will inform you of any increases as soon as we can.
For 2010 our wedding fees are:
Wedding without Choir £578
Wedding with Choir £678
Wedding by Special Licence: Reduce above fees by £22.
(NOTE: A Special Licence costs approx £135.00 (Payable to the Faculty Office and not
the Church.)
Blessing of Marriage-£292.50 (£392.50 with choir)
Marriage Preparation
To help you to build your married life on strong foundations we would like to provide you with a copy of Revd Andrew Body’s book ‘Growing Together — A guide for couples getting married.’ Andrew has been a marriage counsellor for 25 years and was a founder trustee of Family Life and Marriage Education (FLAME).
Who to contact?
In all cases please contact the Vicar directly to enquire into the possibility of getting married at St Andrew’s.