The legal age of marriage in England and Wales is 18 under the The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022.

It is currently not legally possible for same-sex couples to marry in the Church of England.

It’s possible to get married in a church that’s away from where you live if you have a certain kind of connection with it. You may be legally connected to a number of churches in different ways. See the list of qualifying connections here.

There are special guidelines on marriage in the church if you are divorced. There may well be a way forward, but you will need to talk to us about your situation to explore the possibilities for you. We will need to see the Decree Absolute and in some instances may ask to see the Decree Nisi and/or conditional order.

Please read our detailed leaflet all about marrying again in church if you’re divorced.

Yes you can – there are a few legal requirements for getting married in church, but being a regular churchgoer is not one of them.

If all the basic legal requirements are met, you can get married in your local church, or one where you have a legally-recognised connection. Sometimes, if a couple has no connection to a church but would love to marry there, a connection can be created with that church if they go along to its usual services for a period of six months. This is the only occasion when regularly attending the church would be required.

Yes you can. You are not required to have been baptised at a christening, or be a regular churchgoer, to have a church wedding.

If you have a legally-recognised connection to a church and there are no other complications to consider, you can get married here.

However, you can still be baptised as an adult and if this is something you’re thinking about. Contact us to find out more about this.

You are welcome to have a Church of England wedding, even if your spiritual views are different.

Spirituality comes from the deepest part of ourselves and can be hard to articulate. Some people have a vague sense that there is ‘something more’ than the physical universe, and others have stronger convictions, perhaps even a definite faith they can put a name to. For others, their questions and doubts are too numerous for them to claim they have any belief at all in a spiritual dimension. We understand that spiritual beliefs are complex and varied. We welcome questions about faith if you have them. Whether faith is a journey that has not yet begun for you, or whether you’re just unsure, it need not be a barrier to a church wedding if you want one. Regardless of what you believe, there are legal rights regarding Church of England weddings and it is our privilege to welcome all who can legally marry in the parish. However, the service will always be a Christian one, with words that speak of Christian beliefs. These words can not be changed and the vicar can not omit certain words if you don’t wish to say them.

To help you decide if the Church of England marriage service is for you, take a look at the words of the service together and see if they strike a chord, and if you will feel comfortable saying them on your wedding day. Contact us to explore this together.

Yes, that's correct.

All couples will need to show us their passport as proof of nationality. If you don’t have a passport, there are other documents which would be acceptable, so ask us about this.

If either or both of you are divorced, you will need to bring your decree absolute.

You may also be asked to provide evidence of your connection to the church, such as utility bills which show you live or have lived in the parish, or your parents’ marriage certificate if they were married there, for example. We will guide you on acceptable documents for your particular connection.

Usually it will be the Rector or an ordained member of clergy here at Easthampstead Parish who will officiate at the wedding. Very rarely we may ask a neighbouring member of clergy to help officiate.

You might have a particular vicar in mind to take your wedding because of family or other connections. That’s usually possible to arrange, but the minister here will need to be involved.

Occasionally, couples have a member of the family or a friend who is a vicar, or know a vicar very well from a parish where they used to live, such as where they grew up. As people move and live in different parts of the country more than they used to, the vicar who you’d love to take your wedding may be based elsewhere. The first step is to talk to us and we can advise you on the possibilities. It is usually fine for a different vicar to come into the parish of your marrying church and take the wedding, so long as they are a Church of England vicar. Discuss your plans with us to make sure.

No, for legal reasons a minister from another denomination (e.g. Methodist, Baptist, URC) is not able to do a Church of England wedding here. They can be involved in other ways, for example by doing the readings, prayers, or even the talk/sermon.

Catholics are welcome to have a Church of England wedding. It will always be taken by a Church of England vicar, for legal reasons, but a Catholic priest can be involved in the service by doing prayers, readings or even a talk/sermon.

If one of you is a Roman Catholic and you want the Roman Catholic Church to recognise your marriage, you will need to seek the advice of your Roman Catholic priest about the permission required for marrying a non-Roman Catholic.

Most weddings will require banns reading several weeks before the ceremony. They need to be read in the church where each of you lives and in the church where you will be married, if that is in a different place. 

Visit AChurchNearYou.com and either enter the postcode of your address into he search box, or start typing your road name and district. Addresses that match what you are typing will start to appear in a drop-down menu. Select the correct address when it appears, and then click the arrow button to search. Your search results will show a list of churches near to you and a map showing the parish where you live shaded in orange. At the top of the list, highlighted in an orange box, will be the church or churches in the parish which cover your postcode/address. This will most likely be the church where your banns will be read. Click on the church’s name to see more details about it, including the contact details. Once you’re in touch with the church, tell them your good news, the date of your wedding and that you require local banns. They will take your details, confirm that you live in the parish and will then let you know what happens next.

If it is not clear which is your parish, for example if you live on the very edge of a parish boundary, or if you live in a newly-built housing area, contact us for help.

Contact Us

The Church of England has only three legally-approved forms of words for a marriage service so personalised vows are not possible. Most weddings use the words from The Marriage Service from Common Worship (2000). It is in contemporary language and offers the most flexibility in the choice of readings and prayers.

I, N, take you, N, to be my wife/husband,
to have and to hold from this day forward;
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish,
till death us do part;
according to God’s holy law.
In the presence of God I make this vow.

If you wanted to use old language, such as ‘thee’ and ‘thou’ instead of ‘you’ then contact us to discuss the two other form of words.

A wedding is a public event and legally the doors must be unlocked, so anyone can technically go along.

If you look up how the tradition of ‘giving away’ a bride originated, you might be concerned that this part of the ceremony used to be about the bride as the ‘property’ of one family being transferred to another.

Happily, this tradition of ‘giving away’ is today rich with other meanings based not on transaction but on the gift of love and relationships. For some couples this part of the wedding ceremony is particularly beautiful because it results in bringing together two different families through the couple’s love for each other in marriage.

The point of ‘giving away’ can also be a powerful and emotional moment of respect, trust and devotion, recalling words from the Bible that in marriage a person leaves their parents, letting go of the past to become part of a new adventure, united with the person they love for the rest of their lives.

Under current rules the wedding must take place between 8am and 6pm on any day. That means the proclamation must happen before 6pm so the latest we will start a wedding here in Easthampstead would be 5pm. Just to be safe!

We love confetti! You are welcome to throw confetti within church grounds. It must be biodegradable and thrown outside of the church building. Bubbles are also a good alternative.

The way a marriage is registered in England and Wales changed from 4th May 2021.

On the day of your ceremony you sign a Marriage Document which is a one-page document which contains the details of both people getting married. These details may now include all parents details including father, mother and step – parents. The Marriage Document will be issued by the minister at the Church where your marriage is taking place.

The completed Marriage Document will be forwarded to your area’s register office within 21 days of your ceremony taking place and this will be entered within 7 days of receipt of the signed Marriage Document by the Registration Service. Once entered your marriage certificate will be available.

To order Marriage certificates. Please follow the link to Bracknell Forest Council's website and make the appropriate payment.

Bracknell Forest Registration Service

Yes! We would be delighted to see you and continue building a relationship with you.

Yes, we can help you. No marriage is perfect, and at some point, you and your spouse are going to hit a rough patch you'll need to overcome. It's a normal part of any relationship, and it's part of the reason why any relationship takes work. We can offer you support in getting through the rough patch if you would like us to help. Do please contact us.