Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I get married somewhere other than in a Church?
A: Yes. If you wish to be married according to the rites of the Church of England somewhere other than in a parish church or other building licensed for public worship, you will need to obtain a Special Licence from the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Otherwise, you may be married at a registered building under the authority of a Superintendent Registrar’s Certificate, although such a marriage could not be carried out according to the rites of the Church of England.
Q: Is a clergyman obliged to marry a parishioner?
A: Yes, unless either (a) one of the parties is divorced and the former spouse is still living, or (b) the marriage is prohibited by law owing to the relationship of the parties, or (c) one or both of the parties is under 18 .
Q: Is it possible to be married in my school or college chapel?
A: Yes, if the Faculty Office is prepared to grant a Special Licence.
Q: Can I be married in the church of the parish where my parents live?
A: The law has changed with the coming into force on 1st October 2008 of the Church of England Marriage Measure 2008. This measure allows a couple to be married by banns or by common licence in the church of a parish where a parent of either party to the proposed marriage has resided at any time for a period of at least 6 months during the life time of the party proposing to be married.
Q: Can I be married at any time of day?
A: A Special Licence can authorise a marriage at any time of day or night, but in the case of marriage in a Church of England church by banns, common licence or Superintendent Registrar’s Certificate, the marriage must take place between 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m.
Section 4 of the Marriage Act 1949 restricted the hours when marriages may be solemnized to between 8.00 am and 6.00 pm. Section 114 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, which came into force on 1 October 2012, has repealed section 4 of the 1949 Act thereby removing that statutory restriction. It has also repealed the criminal offence of solemnizing a marriage outside the permitted hours contained in section 75(1)(a) of the 1949 Act.
The repeal of section 4 of the Marriage Act 1949 does not, however, change the hours between which a marriage may lawfully be solemnized in the Church of England. That is because Canon B 35.3 of the Canons of the Church of England provides, “A marriage may not be solemnized at any unseasonable hours but only between the hours of eight in the forenoon and six in the afternoon.” The restriction contained in the Canon remains in force notwithstanding the repeal of section 4 of the 1949 Act. The Canons are legally binding on the clergy, so marriages may only take place in a Church of England church between 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m.
Q: What is the cost of a Special Licence?
Enquiry should be made to the Faculty Office in Westminster to ascertain the current cost of a Special Licence.
Q: Can I have a Roman Catholic (or other non-Anglican) wedding in an Anglican church?
A: No. A Roman Catholic wedding in England must be preceded by civil preliminaries, and must take place in a registered building. An Anglican church is a not a ‘registered building’ for this purpose.
Q: Can a Roman Catholic (or other non-Anglican) be married in an Anglican church, even if it is not possible to have a Roman Catholic (or other) wedding service?
A: Yes. People of any faith can be married in an Anglican church, provided that the Anglican form of marriage service is used. An Anglican priest must conduct the service. For the marriage to be legally valid, there are certain parts of the Anglican marriage service which an Anglican priest must say, including the final blessing, but a clergyman of another denomination may assist with other parts of the service, for example, an address or prayers. There is a detailed discussion of this question in Legal Opinions Concerning the Church of England at Non-Anglican minister assisting at marriage according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England .
Q: I live in a parish which is part of a benefice which has five parish churches. Can I be married in any parish church within the benefice?
A: Normally, the answer is no, unless you have a qualifying connection with the parish where you wish to be married, or unless you obtain a Special Licence. The Marriage Act 1949 allows people to have banns called in the church of any parish where they reside or have a qualifying connection with the parish, and then to be married in the church, or in one of the churches, where banns have been called. Likewise, a person can apply for a Common Licence to be married in the church of any parish with which they have a ‘qualifying connection’.
However, it is possible for the Bishop to make an order under s21 of the Marriage Act 1949 and Sch 3 Para 12 of the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011, specifying where banns may be called and marriages solemnised in a multi-parish benefice. Effectively, this means that the Bishop can make an order saying that any person living within the benefice can have banns called in, and be married in, any church within the benefice. So before thinking about being married in a different parish in the same benefice, you will need to find out whether the Bishop has made an order under the Pastoral Measure in respect of the benefice. If there is no such order in place, then you will need to apply for a Special Licence, unless you can show a qualifying connection with the other parish.
Q: What is the correct terminology for describing the parties to a marriage in marriage certificates?
A: The Registrar General has amended the regulations on registration, following the coming into effect of the Civil Partnerships Act 2004. The terms “bachelor” and “spinster” are no longer to be used in marriage registers and certificates. The alternative terms to be used are as follows:
- Single
- Widow
- Widower
- Previous marriage dissolved
- Previous marriage annulled
- Surviving civil partner
- Previous civil partnership dissolved
- Previous civil partnership annulled
The same terms will be used in applications for Common Licences.
Q: Does my natural father’s name have to appear in the marriage register?
A: Normally, the natural father’s name should appear in the register. Where a person has been legally adopted, his or her adoptive father’s name may be entered without qualification. But if the party to the marriage is known by a surname different from that of his or her adoptive father, and the name and surname of the adoptive father are entered in column 7 of the register, then the words “adoptive parent” may be entered in brackets after the surname, if this is desired by the party. But occasionally one of the parties to a marriage may not wish his or her father’s name to appear, for example, if he or she has never known his or her natural father, or has been brought up by a step-father. In such case the minister should not insist on the natural parent’s name being entered, but should draw a line through the columns relating to the father’s names and profession, to show that the information was not supplied. However, since the coming into force of the Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Regulations 2007, it has been permissible to record a step-father’s name, instead of the natural father’s name, provided that the step-father is, or has been, married to the mother. Where a step-father’s name is entered, the word “step-father” should be entered after the surname.
Q. I am planning to get married and would like to retain my maiden name or to adopt a double-barrelled name which incorporates both my name and my fiancé‘s surname. How do I go about this?
A. Advice on changing your name is set out on the Government website at Changing Your Name by Deed Poll. You can keep your maiden name after marriage if you wish, and no action is required to achieve this. To change to a double-barrelled surname after marriage, your fiancé could change his name by Deed Poll to the new name before you marry, and you could simply adopt his new name after marriage; or you could both change your names by Deed Poll after the marriage. If you both want to be known by the bride’s surname after the marriage, the groom can change his surname to the bride’s surname by Deed Poll prior to the marriage.
Q. I am looking for some general guidance on completing marriage registers, correcting mistakes in the register, making the quarterly returns and so on.
A. There is a helpful Home Office publication which sets out guidance on marriage preliminaries, the legal requirements for solemnisation of marriages, registration of marriages and correction of entries in the register, at “Guidebook for the Clergy”.