Congratulations and a warm welcome to you if you are thinking about being married at Christ Church.
We will do our best to make your wedding day memorable for you, your family and your friends. This will be a very exciting time for both of you with many things to think about and plan. However, it is sensible to start with location and date so your first questions are likely to be :
Can we get married at Christ Church?
Which dates and times are available?
Why get married at Christ Church?
What will it cost?
Can we get married at Christ Church?
The vicar has a legal responsibility to be satisfied that you can lawfully marry in the parish before any arrangements can be fixed. To make this process as quick and simple as possible, it is best to contact the Church Office (Here). There are four questions about you as a couple that will need to be clarified:
- Whether you are so closely related to each other that the law does not permit you to marry. You will need to certify that this is not the case.
- Whether either of you is not a UK National. Special issues arise in this situation and these need to be considered before further progress can be made.
- Whether either of you is qualified to be married at Christ Church. Qualification comes by virtue either of being a resident in the parish; or of being on the church electoral roll; or of having close family links with the parish.
- Whether either of you has been married before and your former husband or wife is still alive. In this case an interview with the Vicar will be necessary before any arrangements can be made.
Once these issues have been clarified we will send you a booklet with further information and ask you to arrange an appointment with the Church Operations Coordinator and one of the clergy. At this meeting all the arrangements for the wedding service can be discussed and any questions that you have can be raised.
Which dates and times are available?
Around 10 weddings a year take place at Christ Church Quinton; most of them on Saturdays in the Spring and Summer months (generally not on a Sunday), though they can be on any day and at any time of year. The earlier you make your arrangements, the more likely it is that a particular date will be available. It would be unwise to book the reception without first checking on availability of the church. Please contact the Church Office for an initial idea of available dates – this can then be firmed up at your meeting.
Why get married at Christ Church?
Christ Church is a beautiful church building, making the perfect location for a traditional wedding. A team of dedicated clergy and administrators will help you to plan your big day, and our supporting team of vergers, organists and flower arrangers give you lots of options to make your wedding special and unique.
However there are certain other important distinctions which make a church wedding different to a civil service in a registry office or other licensed venue. Here’s three things which we believe about marriage which might see us take a different approach to a wedding:
- We believe that marriage is a gift from God; a gift which celebrates joy and love, a gift which helps us care for one another – especially children, and a gift which helps to build and strengthen our communities, so we want to help you celebrate.
- We believe that there is a certain solemnness and seriousness to marriage, the lifelong vows taken and promises made are hugely important, so we treat marriage with reverence and respect.
- We believe that marriage works best when God is ‘at the centre’ – the Bible tells us that ‘love comes from God’, he gives us the love to be faithful and sacrificial in our marriages. To that end, we will pray for you, include a Bible reading and short talk in the service, and help you to consider God’s love as you prepare for marriage.
What will it cost?
A great deal less than the reception! The fee for a wedding in 2023 is £589. There are additional charges for heating (In the winter months), live streaming, for special flowers and for providing an organist.
For more general information about weddings in church, please visit the ‘Your Church Wedding‘ website.
If you would like to enquire about a wedding at Christ Church please use the enquiry form here