Parish of St Mary's Wistaston with St Luke's Willaston
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Weddings - on this page you will find information about getting married at St Mary's or having your Banns of Marriage read here if you are getting married elsewhere.
To enquire about booking a wedding please read this page and then click here to go to an online form.
Do not just go to the online form as there is some very important information on this page that you should take into account before completing the form.

BANNS of MARRIAGE
If you are getting married at another church, but live in this parish, and need your Banns reading at St Mary's, please contact the Rector, Mike Turnbull, for the relevant form: Email (preferred) revd.mike@stmaryswistaston.org.uk or by phone.


If you are thinking about getting married then congratulations! If you are thinking about getting married at St Mary's Wistaston we would love to help you in your planning!! However, in order to qualify to get married here you either need to be resident in the Parish (click here to check if you live in the Parish - opens in a new window) or one of you needs to fulfil at least one of the criteria below:
  • one of you was baptised or prepared for confirmation in the parish;
  • one of you has lived in the parish for six months or more;
  • one of you has at any time regularly attended public worship in the parish for six months or more;
  • one of your parents has lived in the parish for six months or more in your lifetime;
  • one of your parents has regularly attended public worship here for six months or more in your lifetime;
  • your parents or grandparents were married in the parish.
  • one of you is on the Electoral Roll of the Parish (you can join this after attending this church for 6 months)
    (All of these refer to Church of England services)
If you do, and you would like to chat with the Rector about beginning to plan your wedding or enquire about dates, then please click here to go to the Wedding Enquiry Form. Please read the rest of this page and download Your Wedding at St Mary's Wistaston before meeting with him.

For further details on The Marriage Measue 2008 please cick here

When can I get married at St Mary's?

We conduct weddings on most days of the year between 11am & 4pm with the following exceptions:
We do not conduct weddings
  • on a Sunday
  • on a Bank Holiday
  • on Good Friday, Easter Saturday or Easter Monday
  • on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Years Eve
Wedding enquiries for for any date after the 3rd Sunday of December, except those mentioned above, would be considered, but as this is an extremely busy time in the life of the church, priority would be given to church events and requests would be looked at on an individual basis

If you choose a weekday for your wedding please note that we cannot always guarantee a Choir or Bell Ringers - but we would try our best.

What's so special about marriage?

  • Marriage is a very ancient idea. The Bible suggests it goes right back to Adam and Eve, who were 'made for each other' (Gen 2). Jesus' teaching on marriage, as exclusive, unbreakable and forging a new family unit, drew on this original blueprint. And Jesus loved a good wedding: he turned water into wine at a wedding reception (John 2), his first recorded miracle. Even today, marriage exists in practically every country and culture on earth.
  • So marriage has always been part of God’s good plan for us. And no wonder! A good marriage is healthy, freeing and life-giving, as you’ll discover as you read through this section.
  • Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God. There is something in a public commitment of this magnitude that has a spiritual element to it and which can transform a relationship to a new and deeper level.
         "When you commit to someone they are always in your thoughts;
                                                                 when you decide things, you always consider how it will affect them, not just you"


  • God intended marriage to offer the right place to grow in love and support for each other, fulfil our sexuality and provide a stable and secure environment for bringing up children. Marriage can change us for the better, and as we change, our marriage grows along with us.
  • In the marriage ceremony, a couple makes a public declaration of lifelong commitment to love each other. A commitment, by its nature, is a challenge. Saying ‘I will’ to those vows obliges you to forgive and be forgiven. It will be tough at times! So marriage is a risk, but a risk worth taking. There’s plenty of evidence to show married couples are more likely to be healthy, wealthy and wise.
  • Occasionally we all fall short of God’s ideal for love, but a degree of conflict in a marriage is healthy if dealt with appropriately. Obviously conflict that results in domestic abuse* in any of its forms is unacceptable, contrary to God’s will and the wedding vows. Christians believe marriage is a gift from God and should mirror of the love God has for all of us – love that remains true, faithful, protective and respectful.
(*If you would like to read more on the Church of England's response and guidelines on domestic abuse please see this paper.)


Wedding leaflets and Resources

Picture
You will need Adobe Reader (free) to read the documents on this page - click the image above to download it for free

Word Format

02 Your Wedding at St Mary's Wistaston.doc
File Size: 381 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

03 Fees
File Size: 26 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

04 Prayers for Weddings
File Size: 37 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

05 Readings for Weddings
File Size: 54 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

06 Hymns for Weddings
File Size: 251 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

07 Structure for Service Orders
File Size: 243 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

08 Marriage Preparation Invite
File Size: 492 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

09 To Do List
File Size: 241 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

10 FAQ's.doc
File Size: 154 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

Example Order of Service
File Size: 172 kb
File Type: doc
Download File

PDF Format

02 Your Wedding at St Mary's Wistaston.pdf
File Size: 479 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

03 Fees
File Size: 343 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

04 Prayers for Weddings
File Size: 72 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

05 Readings for Weddings
File Size: 195 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

06 Hymns for Weddings
File Size: 298 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

07 Structure for Service Orders
File Size: 298 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

08 Marriage Preparation Invite
File Size: 155 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

09 To Do List.pdf
File Size: 278 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

10 FAQ's.pdf
File Size: 336 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Example Order of Service
File Size: 151 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

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