Weddings

Take me to:  Fees  |  Qualifying Connections  |  What to do

We would be delighted to welcome you to Old Church for a wedding, a wedding blessing, or perhaps to renew your wedding vows. Old Church is a beautiful setting for this very special day. We would be every pleased to talk to you about any special requirements you might have, for flowers, for music, for ringing the bells, and for photography and video recording around and during the service.

Current legislation allows Old Church to offer the sacrament of marriage to those where one or both live in the parish or are on the electoral roll. In addition, marriage at Old Church would be available to those able to show a link with the parish. Before going further, you would be advised to read the information below on Qualifying Connections.

If you have the necessary connections or wish to talk about them, please contact Joyce Jones, 0121 565 3629.  Alternatively, speak to The Vicar, The Reverend Sara Moore, 07473 385789,  or use the contact page

We understand that no two couples are the same and that their backgrounds in the Christian faith will differ. As part of preparation for marriage at Old Church, we hope that you will join us for worship, particularly when the banns are being read. In addition, you are expected to meet with a member of the clergy to discuss the vows that you will be making from a Christian perspective.

You will find further useful information about weddings in the Church of England on the following websites:

• Church of England
• Your Church Wedding

The Church of England provides on-going guidance about Weddings in these times of coronavirus. Please click on the following to read the latest information. Scroll down to Life Events.

Fees

Please note that fees are payable for weddings in church. You’ll find the details here.

Qualifying Connections

The Marriage Measure 2008 lays down conditions for those wishing to be married through a Church of England service in a particular parish church. The measure will make no difference to those where one or both of the partners are living in the Old Church parish and/or are on the electoral roll of Old Church. Such a couple has the right to be married in Old Church.

The Marriage Measure 2008 may be helpful to those who do not satisfy the condition of residence or electoral roll registration. Old Church may be able to offer a marriage service to couples if they can demonstrate a particular connection with the parish.

A person has a Qualifying Connection with a parish if that person:

• was baptised in the parish
• has a record of confirmation in a church register book
• has lived in the parish for at least 6 months
• has attended public worship in the parish for at least 6 months.

In addition, a person may have a Qualifying Connection through their parents, if one parent:

• has lived in the parish for at least 6 months
• has attended public worship in the parish for at least 6 months.

In addition, a person may have a Qualifying Connection through their parents or grandparents, if one parent or grandparent:

• was married in the parish.

What you have to do

If you wish to be married at Old Church by establishing a Qualifying Connection under the 2008 Measure, you will need to provide evidence of your qualifying connection. Please talk either to Joyce Jones (pictured right, 0121 565 3629) or to a member of the clergy about what evidence would be required. Without such evidence, we may, sadly, be unable to help you with a wedding at Old Church.

If you want to marry in Old Church but don’t have any of the legally-recognised connections to the church, you may be advised to apply for a Special Licence. Follow this link to Your Church Wedding to find out more about this.

If you are from outside the European Economic Area, having a Church of England wedding will involve some different paperwork and there will be a number of things the clergy at Old Church will need to talk to you about. Follow this link to Your Church Wedding to find out more about this.