Services - Weddings
Both St Luke's and Moor Lane Churches can be used for weddings that we take. (The pictures on this page are of a wedding held at St Luke's.)
Marriage In church
Want to get married in church?
Below are some of the reasons people give for getting married in a church:
- Because it's the "done thing".
- I always wanted a white wedding!
- It might make the day more special...
- My mum /dad wants us to have a wedding in a church.
Actually the most important reason for a church wedding is because it is a spiritual covenant you will be taking your vows before God and to ask God's help in the years of marriage to come. That is why for Christians this is the central reason for marrying in a church.
Thus it is important to please read through all of the following information and having done so, if you do wish to be married in St Luke's or Moor Lane churches, then contact our verger on Saturday mornings or make an appointment with one of our clergy team. (Please contact the Parish office during Office hours to make an appointment with a member of the clergy team.)
We look forward to meeting you and having the chance to talk things through.
Eligibility are we the appropriate legal venue for your wedding?
Our verger, Margaret, is at St Luke's from 10am to 11am on Saturday mornings and usually the first point of contact. There's no need for an appointment.
She will check your details and advise if you are legally eligible to be married at St. Lukes or Moor Lane churches, (follow the link at the end of this page to the Church of England web site for guidance on eligibility for getting married in church) and can take down provisional details of when you would like the marriage to take place.
Provisional dates will then be passed on to the clergy to check if they will be available.
When a wedding date is confirmed, our verger will arrange to have the Banns read for three Sundays prior to your wedding ceremony. (Banns also need to be read in the parish where each of you live as well if that is another parish.) They will book the church (and clergy) for the ceremony, arrange for the register to be written up and explain about the fees. They can also arrange flowers if you wish. If you would like a rehearsal close to the time of the wedding then you can agree a mutually convenient date with the relevant minister taking the service.
Setting dates
Our verger will take details of preferred dates, but no date is confirmed until it has been agreed by a member of the clergy team and any other issues that need sorting have been dealt with (see below).
- Clergy are generally not available for weddings on; Public Holidays, Sundays, Fridays, the week after Christmas, the week after Easter.
- August is a holiday month, and so we would not normally take wedding bookings for August.
- As the church is in great demand from many groups within the church for teaching, conferences etc, we cannot tie the church up with advance bookings too far into the future, thus no date can be agreed more than 18 months in advance
Your Christian faith as part of your wedding plans
The most important reason for a church wedding is because it is a spiritual covenant you will be taking your vows before God and to ask God's help in the years of marriage to come. For Christians this is the central reason for marrying in a church.
Because of this, we ask anyone who isnt a regular practicing member of a Christian church, but who would like to be married in St Luke's or MoorLane, to plan
- A) to come along on Sunday morning services to get the feel for what we do, and
- B) to commit to at least the first four evenings of our Alpha Course (which starts every September) to get an introduction to the Christian Faith.
Thus, if you are not a regular attendee at St .Lukes or Moor Lane churches, you will need to talk to one of our clergy team before a wedding date can be agreed and confirmed.
What if either partner has been previously married?
Current church members: We do not have a set policy on marriage after divorce, but take each request case by case. For any person who is already a regular worshipping member of our church we do have criteria which a member of the clergy team will discuss with you privately. This confidential discussion will help determine whether a wedding at St. Lukes or Moor Lane is appropriate. To give you an idea of what will be discussed; we will take into account your faith in God, your Christian walk & your public witness as a Christian and will look at such thing as: the circumstances surrounding the break-up of previous relationships; what steps have been taken with regard to forgiveness and reconciliation; etc.
Non church members; Obviously the main reason for being married in church is the desire to take spiritual vows in the context of a professed faith in God. Because there has obviously been a breakdown in the past of these vows and promises, then if neither of the prospective wedding partners is a practicing Christian & regular member of St. Lukes or Moor Lane we would not normally consider it appropriate to conduct a wedding service. However we are not legalistic and operate under Gods Grace and there are other options, so we are still happy to discuss your particular circumstances, and see if there might be a way forward.
To read more about weddings in general, visit: the Church of England website.
