Getting Married at Christ Church Southwark
We at Christ Church want to support you in any way we can around this important decision you have made. This seeks to provide information regarding the following:
a form of Church wedding
a form of Church wedding where one party has been divorced
a form of Church wedding where one of the couple is not a UK national
a form of Service to follow a civil partnership
Just starting to think about planning a wedding?
If this you, we strongly recommend that you check out this website here that provides all the information you need to consider when planning a Church based wedding. If you are wanting to get married at Christ Church Southwark or remarriage after divorce then please print off this form and fill it in and send in or email scanned copy to:
27 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NY or email here
The usual way of getting married is via a banns of marriage approach where one of the couple either lives in the parish or has attended services reliably for 6 months or is on the electoral roll of the parish. In any of these situations, the Church Administrator will make an appointment for you to meet one of the parish clergy to begin planning.
As a parish we are supportive of those wanting to get married where one of the party is divorced. The Church of England stipulates a few things that need to be considered in this situation to discuss with the parish clergy person. Fill in the same form above, and arrange to meet with the clergy person as the next step.
What does the Church look like? I would like to see it
By all means come and see the Church if you want as part of your decision process. Please see pictures below so you have some idea what the Church looks like.
What needs to happen if one of the couple is not a UK national?
In most instances, the process is a bit more elongated and there are extra checks to follow, and you will need to begin this process by arranging an appointment in your local registry office to meet with a Superintendent Registrar who have the responsibility to sort out what is called a Superintendent Registrar license to marriage. We advise you to check out this weblink and information from the UK Government site in this situation.
They will need you as part of this process to confirm that you have sorted out a proposed date with the proposed Church, so do arrange a time to meet with one of our parish priests to help with this.
Do I need to consider a Common License or Special License in my situation?
Most weddings will not require another form of license other than the usual for marriage via banns of marriage. If you are unable to get married via the banns system for some reasons, in this situation you will need to apply for a Common License, info on this is here
It is possible to have a service of blessing following Civil Partnership
We at Christ Church seek to be an inclusive Church. The Church of England has put certain restrictions to what you can and cannot do for a service of prayers following Civil Partnership, and as a Church we would want to do what we can to support you. As this form of service is not a ‘legal’ service, although there are prescribed liturgies for such services, the best thing to do is to contact our Church Office and make a time to meet one of the Parish Clergy.
Do you allow service for renewing of wedding vows?
Yes we do, so the best thing to do is get in contact with our church office to arrange a time to meet a Parish Clergy person to discuss what you would like to do.
How much does all this cost?
For Church Weddings there are set costs which includes various certificates needed under the banns processes. For non-legal services outlined above, there will still be a fee for the Church for holding the Service. Please speak to the clergy person around costs when you meet with them.
