Marriage at Christ Church:
All you need to know
What is marriage?
Marriage is the solemnisation (official recognition) of a loving relationship, and a sign that this relationship is blessed by God.What happens at a wedding?
The details of any service will differ from church to church — and even between services in the same church — but the couple will always declare that they are eligible to marry each other, and will promise to love and stay faithful to each other for the rest of their lives. They are blessed by the priest and the marriage is formally completed with the words “Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder”.Practical details of arranging the service are noted below.
Why bother with marriage?
The Church teaches that marriage is the right environment for a loving relationship, and the upbringing of children. It allows the couple to make a public statement of their commitment to each other, and is a potent symbol of their bodily union.Whom do we contact to arrange the wedding?
In the first instance contact the parish office (administrator@xpeastbourne.org or 07929 905664) when we will register your interest, send out information and forms to be filled in and pencil in any possible date. Assuming that the marriage can go ahead, when the marriage form is returned with the deposit the date will be secured. All the information is then passed on to one of the priests of the parish who will contact you for a visit to pin down the final details.Please contact us before fixing your reception. If necessary we can provisionally book a range of dates or times for your wedding in order that you can then book your reception and finalise the service time with us. If you book your reception without consulting us first you may find that we cannot accommodate your service at the time you would like.
A deposit of £150 is required at the time we make a firm booking for your marriage service. This is not normally refundable. Provisional bookings are not held indefinitely and may be lost.
Who can be married at Christ Church?
Church law states that at least one of the couple has to be living within the Parish of Christ Church or be on the electoral roll or be able to prove a strong connection with the parish. If you are not sure whether you live within the parish you can be advised on this matter, or you can use the Church of England’s Parish Finder to find out. It may say you live in the Parish of S Philip Eastbourne. That’s fine as that’s now part of the Parish of Christ Church. The maps haven’t caught up yet. If you find you don’t live within the parish, the list of qualifying strong connections is:- your grandparents or parents regularly attend, or attended, Christ Church or S Philip’s Church — any evidence you have of this is beneficial;
- your parents were married at Christ Church or S Philip’s Church, for which evidence is required;
- you were baptised at Christ Church or S Philip’s Church, for which evidence is required;
- you regularly attend our church services (in which case you should join the electoral roll).
What if a partner has been married before?
The law has changed in relation to the marriage in Church of those who have been previously married — it is now legally possible. However the Church of England has left a certain discretion with the parish priest as to whether they, in all conscience, feel able to conduct a marriage of those who are divorced. The policy of this parish is that under certain circumstances a marriage between people who have been previously divorced is possible, but not in every circumstance.A marriage of a divorcee is only possible if:
- the present relationship was not the cause of the breakdown of the previous marriage; and
- the previous marriage was not solemnised in Church. The courts can only undo the legal part of marriage not the solemnised part. Only God can undo what God has joined together.
A marriage can be dissolved if it is not consummated (the couple have never had sex) or if one of the partners of a non-Christian marriage becomes a Christian.
In the case of those whose who had a church marriage but believe that their marriage qualifies for annulment the details will be passed to the Vicar and the final decision lies with him.
The service itself
You will need to choose at least one reading. It is best if you nominate a relative or friend to read this. If you are not sure of a reading the clergy will be happy to help you choose one.You will normally need to choose three hymns and/or songs, and the organist will be happy to help you in your choice. The organist’s advice can also be sought about any bridal marches at the beginning and the end of the service. Instead of the organ, or in addition to it, Christ Church can also offer a live music group for more modern music and a recorder consort for smaller services. The choir is normally available for Saturday services, and many members may be available if your wedding is to be on another day, but weekday availability may be limited.
The service will normally last between 35 and 45 minutes. It is politely asked that the bride be no more than 5 minutes late to the church.
Photography and video recordings are allowed on the understanding that during the marriage service it is to be unobtrusive — stepladders and floodlights are unlikely to be allowed in the church. The photographer and the person taking the video will need to speak to the priest conducting your service before it begins to discuss what is possible. Although the fee includes a licence for video recording in church, this may affect copyright and in this case you may be asked to pay additional copyright royalties on your chosen reading(s), hymns/songs and other music and words.
We have some examples of Orders of Service available in PDF format.
Simpler leaflets are available at lower cost. Stock graphics are generally used, although we may be able to match single-colour images of your choice.
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We can provide personalised, professionally-designed Orders of Service for you, and can usually match other stationery if you can give us a sample. Prices are negotiable provided we can cover our costs. If you take advantage of this, we will take care of copyright permissions — we are able to reproduce many items without additional fees. Some items are subject to a fee, which we would negotiate on your behalf. Please note that some permissions can take some time to obtain, so as much notice as possible is requested. If you choose to provide your own Orders of Service, you must discuss it with the Vicar to ensure they are right. You would also be responsible for all copyright permissions and fees (including for video), although we would be happy to advise you on this so you can stay within the law.
After the service
The church will be open after the service if you would like to take any photographs in the church itself. Your guests should not use confetti inside the church grounds unless it is biodegradable. You may wish to consider the use of blown bubbles instead of confetti.What about the rehearsal?
This should be arranged with the parish administrator and the priest conducting your marriage, and will normally be in the few days immediately before the marriage. Please bring your best man and other principal guests, so you can all familiarise yourselves with the service.How much does it cost?
The service at Christ Church is provided for an all-in fee (apart from any costs which are specific to your wedding, like service booklets and copyright fees, or flowers we provide for you). For £695.50 you get:- the service itself*
- the marriage certificate
- the publication of Banns beforehand
- choir
- organist
- bells
- a churchwarden or senior sidesman to assist any stewards you want to provide
- permission to record or video the service
If we find that we cannot provide a part of the package (for example if the bells are undergoing maintenance and cannot be rung, or the choir is not available) then we will refund part of the all-in fee. You may choose not to take advantage of the complete package, but the fee will remain the same.
The legal minimum service remains available at £294, but this includes no music [including recorded music], bells, or permission to record the service. Still photography is permitted.
The above costs are valid at the time this page was produced, but statutory fees change during the year. Please enquire about the exact level of current fees. Revised fees will apply for weddings due to take place in 2011 and beyond, although the amount may not be known until the January or April before the ceremony.
What do we do if we have to cancel the wedding?
Please inform us as soon as possible. We can’t accept notification from anyone but one of the partners, and it must be in writing. We recognise that sometimes unfortunate things happen, and you may not be liable for any fees unless the Banns have already been published (in which case the statutory fees for the Banns and their certificate must be paid). If you have to cancel close to the date of the service we would expect fees to be paid to those who have re-arranged their day to be there for you — our senior sidesman, bell-ringers, choir and organist, for example. If we’ve provided service sheets or flowers we would need to cover our costs. Your deposit would help to cover these fees, but if it isn't sufficient you might need to pay more. Every case is considered individually, and you may be able to make a claim for any costs on your wedding insurance.Other points of information
Anthony Osborne, Organist & Choir Director music@xpeastbourne.orgMrs Meg Munson, for flowers in the church: 01323 487229
Mrs Marion Hollands, Sussex County Association of Change Ringers, for arranging the ringing of bells: 01323 764868 bells@xpeastbourne.org
The main Church of England website has more information.
If you have any query that is not covered here, or you would like clarification of anything, then please contact us.
Special copyright conditions
We list here the special copyright fees we know of. Naturally this list isn’t complete by any means and will be added to and corrected as information becomes available.- Morning has broken, Eleanor Farjeon © David Higham Associates: £30
