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A Guide to getting
​Married at St Mary's

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Please read this page so as you have all the information and, then if you wish to make an enquiry, then click on the
​Enquiry Button
at the bottom of the page

Getting Married
​at St Mary's

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If you are thinking of getting married in a church, then you've probably got lots of questions.

A marriage service, wherever it is held, is a public declaration of love and commitment to your partner. If you choose to get married in church, there is an added dimension - the assurance that God cares about your relationship and that his resources and strength are available to you. That doesn’t mean that you will avoid completely the usual ups and downs of married life, but you will know that you can look to God for help and guidance and that his love will sustain you. You will also have the support of your Church Family.

Some questions you may have...

Legal Requirements
for marriage at St Mary's

To get married in any Church of England Church there are some Legal Requirements that must be met by the couple
❖ You must be at least 18 years of age
❖ At least one of you should have a Qualifying 
    Connection to the ecclesiastical
    (not Civic) Parish of St Mary's Wistaston
​    & St Luke's Willaston (see below)
❖ Your Banns of Marriage should be Published
    (read) at St Mary's Wistaston and, if applicable,
    in the Church of England Parish Church
​    in which you live
❖ If you are divorced at least one of you will
    need to live in the Parish* and you will need
    to produce your Decree Absolute before the
    wedding can take place
❖ Although same sex-marriage is legal in the UK,
     it remains the case that it is not legally possible
    for same-sex couples to marry in the
    Church of England.

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​How much
​will it cost?​

​In 2025 our weddings begin at £753.00.
This gives you everything you need to get married including a minister, organist, Banns* (at St Mary's) & the registration procedure. If you are planning to get married in October - April inclusive we recommend that you add the heating on at £47.00.
​
Other options include the Bells at £223.00.

To view full details of the fees for this year and estimates for subsequent years please click here.

* if you don't live in the parish of St Mary's you will also have to pay an additional fee to your local parish church for the Publication of your Banns - currently £56.00.​

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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 the 3rd Saturday of June
    (Wistaston Village Fete!)
❖ 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.

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​Do I have a Qualifying Connection?

In order to legally qualify to get married at St Mary's you either need to be either (▶︎)
▶︎ resident in the Parish
     To verify this please click the button below to check if you live in the Parish. This will open in a new window. 
     Simply enter your address and then search, on the list of churches that appear you have to look for the one that states, '
     This is your parish church', please note it's not necessarily the first on the list.
     It should be noted that Parish refers to the ecclesiastical parish and not civic, as they have different boundaries!  Please check.
​

Check if you live in the Parish

OR
​
▶︎ if one of you is not resident in the Parish then 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)

What about Flowers, Confetti, Photos, Video & Orders of Service?

We are happy for you to have all of the above!
We are happy for you to have a Florist or for you to do the flowers yourselves.
Confetti, absolutely, as long as it's outside the church and biodegradable!
Photography & Videography is welcome in church as long as it's not obtrusive.
We have had many of the local photographers in church and they understand working in churches.
If you are having a video then you may need a Performing Rights Society Licence - please check with the videographer.
We would encourage you to produce your own Order of Service.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to email Revd Mike

​If you are ready to make an enquiry please click the button below!

Click to make a Wedding Enquiry