Marrying in church is personal, meaningful and spiritual just as you want it to be. Churches are special and unique places to get married in. The prayers, promises and the whole service of celebration become part of your marriage, on the day itself and beyond.
Take a look this video as one couple reflect on their choice of a Church of England wedding:
Planning your wedding
There is a lot to think about when you are planning your big day with so many choices and you want to make sure everything is perfect. Start off by taking a look at the Church of England Weddings website which gives you advice on finding a church, planning the service as well as choosing hymns and readings.
Getting married at St. John's
If you are interested in getting married at St John's in Farsley please contact the parish office by emailing office@stjohnsfarsley.org.uk. The Parish Administrator will be able to arrange a time with you to talk more about your service and answer any questions you may have with no strings attached. You can even book your wedding date and time there and then.
If one or both of you have been married before, we would love to welcome you. The vicar will need to meet you before we book your wedding in church.
Formalities before your wedding
If one or both of you live outside St. John's parish, you must contact the vicar of your parish(es) and arrange to have your Banns of Marriage read during a church service. This is where your intention to marry is announced in public and gives anyone with a legal objection to the ceremony time to declare it. You cannot be married without a Banns Certificate if you live outside the Parish of St. John's. We also need to see proof of your identity (usually a passport) before booking.
Planning your ceremony
It is really important that your day is right for you. You may want to include special things in your service such as poetry, readings and music. We will work with you to discuss your ideas and the Church of England Wedding website has lots more inspiration for planning the service.
Arranging your wedding rehearsal
Nearer the date of your wedding, please contact the vicar to arrange a date for your rehearsal. This is normally the week before the ceremony. It will take away many of the logistical worries you will have on the big day including where you stand and when you arrive.
St. John's wedding costs
There is a legal fee for marrying in church which is the same all over the country. You can find the current costs of a church wedding on the Church of England website.
This wedding fee includes the cost of the vicar, the church, calling your banns, the marriage certificate, heating, lighting and all administration. It also includes some optional costs for having a church organist play at your service and having a verger who will set up the church making sure it is clean, tidy and warm and can give out your service sheets.
Fees are payable whenever is convenient to you, certainly by one month before your wedding. All fees are returnable, except those fees for the Banns of Marriage if they have already been read in church. We prefer payment by electronic bank transfer.
Other useful information
- The wedding service lasts around 20 minutes.
- We reserve the church for 1½ hours for your wedding which includes half an hour for the service and half an hour before and afterwards. There may be other weddings before and after yours.
- Farsley Farmers Market takes place on the fourth Saturday of each month in the church hall car park between 9am and 12:30pm so you may want to avoid that time for your service.
- We can produce a service sheet for you, or if you would prefer to produce your own we can give you an example sheet to work from.
- You can include commercial music in the service, often played from CDs but you will need to arrange your own licence to cover playing copyright material.
- There are always some flowers in church but you are welcome to provide your own flowers in addition to these.
- You are welcome to take photos in church but during the ceremony itself photography is limited to your official photographer. If you are having a video of the service made you will need to sign a form before the day. Just let us know and we will give you a copy of the form. It is also your responsibility to arrange copyright if required.
- We will play the bells at the end of the wedding. At St. John's this is a recording because the church only has one bell in the tower and that sounds very gloomy on such a day of big celebration!
For more information
To discuss your wedding in more detail...
- Get in touch with the Parish Office by emailing office@stjohnsfarsley.org.uk