Formalities

The Church of England is historically arranged into geographical parishes, and as the law currently stands, you are entitled to be married in the church of the parish in which you live. Very few people live in the parish of St Mary-le-Bow; so if you would like to be married here, there are some simple formalities that need to be observed to meet the qualifications in other ways.

+ At least one of you needs to attend services regularly for six months

  and may seek inclusion on the Electoral Roll of the Parish Church. It

  is usual for one of the parties to have been baptised. There are

  plenty of services to choose from at various times of day.

+ Because we don't have Sunday services, we can't publish 'Banns of

  Marriage'. Instead, you'll need to swear an oath saying that there's

  no reason you shouldn't be married.

+ There are certain fees, some of which are set by the Church of

  England for the whole country, and some of which pay for 'optional

  extras'. These change from time to time, so please ask us.

+ There is a choice of forms of the Marriage service itself.

  To see these texts, click on the links:

+ The Book of Common Prayer (1662)

  the oldest, traditional form of service

+ The Prayer Book (1928)

  similar language to 1662 but with revisions

+ Common Worship (2000)

  the modern language used in daily services here

More information is also available from the Diocese of London and the Church of England; the latter has launched a new Weddings site.

We are always very pleased to meet people and discuss what's required: please telephone or send an email.

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