HOLY CROSS PARISH CHURCH

Welcome to Holy Cross Church and

congratulations on your forthcoming wedding

 

Organising a wedding can be a daunting experience and this information has been put together to help you organise the wedding ceremony.

 

It explains about having your Banns read, something you may not be aware of but is a legal requirement.

 

You may want a simple service or a service with the choir, organist, flowers or church bells ringing as you walk back down the aisle.

 

Why choose a Church Wedding?

• - a holy and special building

• - hymns and religious music

• - organ, choir, bells

• - walking down the aisle

• - help in planning the service

• - flowers and photographs

• - prayers for you and God's blessing on your marriage

• - an ongoing link with a Christian Community

 

Reading of Banns

You must arrange to have Banns read.  This is an announcement of your forthcoming marriage and is required by Law.  The Banns must be read in the church in which you are to be married and, if one of you lives elsewhere, in the parish church where you reside.  It is your responsibility to arrange for the Banns to be read, and to collect a certificate which must be brought to Holy Cross Church.  Without this certificate, clergy are not legally entitled to marry you.

 

At Holy Cross Church, Banns are read at the 10.00am service on three consecutive Sundays and you will be informed of the dates when the Banns will be read.

​

(Information regarding Banns - For a marriage to be lawful and comply with UK Civil and Church law, Banns must be read out in church. Banns are just an announcement in the local parish church of your intention to marry and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place. Banns need to be read in the parish where each of you lives as well as the parish church in which you are to be married, if that is somewhere else. You must have your Banns read out in church for three Sundays during the three months before the wedding. This is often done over three consecutive Sundays but does not have to be. 

 

You will probably wonder what all the fuss is about with Banns, it is an archaic practice which hardly makes any sense at all in modern times, but nevertheless, we have to do it because it is the law, albeit ancient law !  Once upon a time, people would have known who the people were who were getting married and they would know if there was a valid reason to object to the marriage. The reasons are quite specific and include such things as the bride and groom are blood relatives, being under duress, or already married to somebody else. It is nothing to worry about and it can be quite nice to come along to church and hear you name read out, so come along if you can.

 

If there is not enough notice given for the Banns to be read before the marriage is due to take place, or in the case of the marriage of people whose nationality is not British, or if one or both of you do not live in England, it is recommended that a Marriage Licence is given instead of Banns. This is especially recommended if there is any doubt as to the legal requirements of the home country of a non-British person for recognition of an English Church marriage.

 

• Banns are called out on three Sundays, not necessarily consecutive

• A marriage after the calling of Banns must be solemnized within three months   

• They are called at the parish church where the parties reside and where they wish to be married 

 

 

 

 

 

The Fees

Getting married can be a very expensive event and to help you budget we have included a list of charges for the ceremony, your Banns being read and the optional extras.

The fees are set on an annual basis.

To view current fees (for 2024) click here

 

Statutory Fees

Marriage Service

Banns

(An additional fee is payable to the other church if external banns need to be read)

 

Want to Find Out More?

If you would like to find out more about holding your wedding at our Church, please contact the Parish Office to book an appointment for the Rector to meet with you both to discuss your plans and arrangements and to take you through a few marriage preparation sessions before finally conducting a rehearsal before your big day.

 

Please check that you have the correct qualifying connections here to be sure that you are able to be married at Holy Cross Church.

 

Please do not make any reception arrangements until you have organised to meet up with the Rector at Holy Cross.

 

The Church of England also has an excellent weddings website which can be found at www.yourchurchwedding.org