Weddings
Marriage in the Catholic Church is a sacrament bestowing the love and grace of God. It is a lifelong, indissoluble covenant of love and fidelity, entered into by a woman and a man. It requires from the couple free consent, faithfulness to one another, and openness to having children and starting a new family. At least one partner must be Catholic.
Couples are warmly invited to contact us if they wish to enquire about getting married in the church. The first step is simply to have a chat with the parish priest, Fr Timothy Swinglehurst, to discuss possibilities including a date for the wedding. He will provide further information about registering the wedding at your local registry office, engaging musicians, organising an order of service for the day and church fees.
For those not resident in the parishes, please contact Fr Tim to arrange a meeting (which may initially take place by phone if you live far away: 01943 863179). He will advise you to contact your local priest for the necessary permission and possibly, if you live far away, for you to request that your local parish priest prepares the paperwork necessary from the Church perspective for the marriage to take place.
There is a certain amount of paperwork to be completed but this can be done after making an appointment. The priest will advise the couple about marriage preparation.
An important point to make early on is that the couple are responsible for making sure the marriage is registered at their local register office; you must have lived in that registration district for the past 7 days. You and your partner will need to give notice separately if you live in different registration districts; you must do this on the same day and within six months of the date arranged.
A link to the local registry office is given below, along with further information about getting married in the Catholic Church.
There is a lot to think about initially but don’t feel overwhelmed. Fr Tim can guide you through the process and, as the couples who have been married here recently will attest, the day itself is a lovely celebration of your love for each other.