Your Wedding at our churches
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Am I eligible to get married in this Parish?
A wedding is one day - a marriage is a lifetime
Preparing for the service: FAQs
What do Christians believe about marriage?
The Marriage Service
Popular Hymns for a Wedding
Popular Bible readings for a Wedding
A marriage service, wherever it is held, is a public declaration of love and commitment to your partner.
If you choose to get married in a church, there is an added dimension – the assurance that God cares about your relationship and that his resources and strength are available to help you. Including God in your marriage doesn’t mean that you will avoid all the usual ups and downs, but you will know that you can look to God for help and guidance, and that his love will sustain you.
You will also have the support and encouragement of the Christian Church family.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Can I get married in the Churches of the Parish of The Good Shepherd?
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At the moment, English Law says that just about anyone is entitled to be married in a Church of England church wherever you live. But there are very strict rules concerning which church.
Please speak to us and we will check if you are eligible.
If it is not possible for your proposed marriage to take place in one of our Churches, we are happy to discuss other alternatives with you, such as a Service of Prayer and Dedication after a civil ceremony that has taken place in, for example, a local Hotel.
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How do I book the Church?
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As soon as you have decided that you would like to get married in one of our churches, get in touch with us to see if we are the available on your preferred date. Please contact our Vicar who will guide you through the entire process. He will meet with you in person to discuss your plans.​
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Can the church help me with my wedding preparations?
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Yes! If you need advice or help, please contact us.
Alternatively, the Church of England hosts a website to help you plan the church wedding of their dreams. The new website contains useful case studies of real weddings, information about the ceremony and marriage, a wedding planner, tips for choosing church music, and a church finder.
What are the legal requirements?
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It is easiest to get married after your banns have been read out in our church on three consecutive Sundays. These Sundays must occur during the three months before your wedding day. (Banns are a public announcement of your intention to marry and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place.)
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Please note that banns need to be read in the parish where each of you live as well as at the church in which you are to be married (if that is another parish). In some cases, there may be an alternative to banns – see the Church of England website or our own summary of the eligibility rules.
If you are under the age of eighteen, you will need your parents’ consent to marry.
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There are special guidelines on church marriage if you have been
divorced.
How much will it cost?
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The fees for a marriage cover the publication of the banns, certificate of banns (if necessary), and the marriage service itself (including heating and lighting, the priest and verger’s time, legal considerations such as paperwork, elementary cleaning, etc.). These fees are fixed centrally by the Church of England. Please click here for cost details.
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Under the 2021 Marriage Act, the Church no longer issues your wedding certificate. You order it online from the Registrar’s office.
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Can I choose what kind of service I want?
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You can customised just about every element of the service. The main exceptions are those parts of the service with a legally-defined form of words.
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Talk over the options with us. For example, you can choose to have a modern-language service or one expressed in more traditional language. There are usually one or more readings from the Bible included in the service – we can help you select the one that suits you best. There will also be some prayers, which you may help choose, or you may write some of your own. You may also decide to have someone other than the minister reading the prayers. It’s your choice.
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The minister will probably give a brief talk or sermon during the service.
If you have friends or family members you would like to involve in the service, for example by reading or playing a musical instrument, please discuss this with us at an early stage of your planning.
Which hymns and songs can I have?
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We can advise on suitable hymns and songs, as well as music for coming in, going out and during the signing of the register. If you want to set out the words and/or music on a printed service sheet, you will need to comply with the copyright laws – consult us about this.
The choice is yours. Indeed, you do not need to choose hymns if you prefer your service does not include any.
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Should we have one or two rings?
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A wedding ring is a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, and of the commitment you are making to each other.
It is entirely your choice whether you have one ring or two — or none.
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Can we video the service?
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Yes! Our Churches permit marriage services to be recorded on video. We may need to charge a small fee to cover copyright issues. Please discuss your requirements with us.
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What if one or both of us are divorced?
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The Church of England teaches that marriage is for life. It also recognises that, sadly, some marriages do fail and, if this should happen, it seeks to be available if you want us to help. The Church accepts that, in exceptional circumstances, a divorced person may marry again in a church during the lifetime of a former spouse.
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We are usually willing to conduct such a marriage in our churches. It is always wise to make an appointment to speak to us before setting a date. We will want to talk to you frankly about the past, your hopes for the future, and your understanding of marriage (a form and explanatory statement Marriage in a church after divorce may be downloaded from the Church of England website. (You will need Adobe Acrobat to read this file.)
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If for any reason it is not possible for your proposed marriage to take place in our Churches, we are happy to discuss other alternatives with you, such as a Service of Prayer and Dedication after a civil ceremony that has taken place in, for example, a local Hotel.
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Am I eligible to get married in this Parish?
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Unfortunately, under current church law, not everyone can get married in our historic church. There are presently four categories of people we can marry here:
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1. Those couples in which one or both members live in our parish. To see if you live in our parish, visit the A Church Near You website, and type in your postcode.
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2. Those couples in which one or both members have their names on the electoral role in our Parish. For us to register your name on the electoral role of our churches, you must have worshipped in that church for a period of not less than six months.
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3. Those couples where one or both members have an affinity with our Parishes. The law defines this affinity as:
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(i) You have lived in our parish for six months or more at some time in the past.
(ii) Your parents have lived in our parish for six months or more at some time in the past.
(iii) One or both of you, or your parents, have been baptised in one of our churches.
(iv) Your parents, grandparents, brother(s) or sister(s), have been married in one of our churches.
(v) Your school regularly attended services at one of our churches.
(vi) You have some other provable connection with one of our churches.
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4. Those couples who have a licence from the Bishop of Manchester, The Rt Revd David Walker. To obtain a licence, please write to the Registrar of the Manchester Diocese, Mrs Donna Myers, at “Diocesan Registry, Church House, The Rock, Bury BL9 0ND.” You will have to pay a fee to obtain a bishop’s licence; and delays are likely.
A licence will not be granted if:
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(i) One or both of you have been divorced.
(ii) Neither of you has been baptised in the Church of England, or in a Christian Church in Communion with the Church of England.
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5. If one or both of you is classed by the Home Office as an asylum seeker, the Registrar will not give you a licence unless:
(i) You have indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom, and
(ii) You have a licence from the Home Office permitting you to get married.
Also please note:
(iii) A marriage conducted in the United Kingdom will be recognised in all the Countries of the European Union, but may not be recognised in other countries.
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This statement has been seen and its contents agreed by the Bishop of Middleton, The Rt Revd Mark Davies.
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A Wedding Day is one day - A marriage is a lifetime
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You have probably already spent many hours planning your wedding. There are so many things to think about: the dress, the cake, whom to invite, the honeymoon. All of these are important, but the wedding is just one day, while the marriage should last for the rest of your lives.
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Alongside the wedding preparations, it is also important to spend time as a couple talking through your expectations of marriage. However much you think you have in common, you are still two separate individuals with different backgrounds, personalities, experiences, hopes and fears. The minister who is talking your service will probably want to spend time with you, talking through these issues.
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Churches sometimes offer marriage preparation, perhaps as part of a group with other couples. This gives you an opportunity to think through possible areas of difficulty, and how to handle them as a couple.
Such topics might include:
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Communication
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Money
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Coping with conflict
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Sex
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In-laws and family issues
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Children​
All of us in the Church hope that you have a wonderful wedding day, and that it will mark the beginning of a long and very happy marriage.
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What do Christians believe about marriage?
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Christians believe marriage is a gift from God. In the marriage ceremony, a couple make a public declaration of lifelong commitment to love each other, com what may. The Bible compares married love with the love that Jesus has for his followers. He expressed his love by being prepared to sacrifice himself, even to die for the people he loved. This is amazing, unconditional love.
Jesus never said, ‘I love you …. but.’ So, in our marriages, we can try to follow his model by loving our partners in a self-sacrificial way, putting their needs before our own. The marriage ceremony gives you a new legal status as husband and wife, and a new stability within which your relationship can flourish and grow.
Christians believe that marriage offers the right place for the fulfilment of our sexuality, and that it proves a stable and secure environment for bringing up children.
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The Marriage Service
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Beginning the service
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Traditionally, the bride and groom enter the church separately – the groom first with the best man, and the bride at the time set for the start of the service, on the arm of her father or another relative or friend, (it does not need to be a man). However, the bride may enter alone if she so wishes, or the couple may enter together.
The minister will welcome the congregation. Your family and friends have an important role to play as witnesses and supporters of your marriage.
The minister will read an introduction explaining what Christians believe about marriage. The minister will also as, as law requires, if anyone knows any reason why the marriage should not lawfully take place.
Hymns
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See opposite for Popular Hymns for a Wedding
Declarations
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You will be asked to promise before God, your friends and your families, that you will love, comfort, honour and protect your partner and faithful to them as long as you both shall live.
The minister will also ask the congregation to declare that they will support and uphold your marriage.
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Vows
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Turning to each other, the bride and groom take each other’s right hand, and make the follow vows:
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“To have and to hold
from this day forward;
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
in love and to cherish,
till death us do part.”
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Rings
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The couple then exchange a ring or rings as a ‘sign of their marriage,’ and as a reminder of the vows:
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“With my body I honour you,
all that I am I give to you,
and all that I have I share with you,
within the love of God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
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Proclamation
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The minister will then declare that you are husband and wife. The minister does not ‘marry you; you marry each other. The minister just directs you in this, and then tells everyone that you have done it properly.
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Prayers
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In the prayers, God’s blessing and help is asked for you both. There may be a prayer for the gift of children, but every couple will have their own feelings about this, so it’s best to discuss the details with your minister.
You may wish to help choose the prayers and/or to write you own. Again, discuss it with your minister.
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Readings and talk or sermon
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It is usual to have one or more readings (one of which should be from the Bible), and the minister will generally give a talk or short sermon.
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Signing the register
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After you have exchanged your vows, the bride, groom, and two witnesses must sign the so-called "wedding document". Your two witnesses must be UK citizens aged 18 or over; the law advises that they are not related but does not forbid it. After signing, the minister then lodges the completed document with the relevant Government authorities. You can then download copies of your marriage certificate about a week after your wedding ceremony.
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Popular Hymns for a Wedding
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LOVE DIVINE, all loves excelling
LOVE DIVINE, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down!
Fix in us Thy humble dwelling,
All Thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation,
Enter every trembling heart.
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Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit,
Let us find Thy promised rest.
Take away the love of sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.
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Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all Thy grace receive;
Suddenly return, and never,
Never more Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve Thee as Thy hosts above,
Pray, and praise Thee without ceasing,
Glory in Thy perfect love.
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Finish then Thy new creation,
Pure and spotless let us be;
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee!
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place;
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love and praise.
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THE LORD’S MY SHEPHERD, I’ll not want;
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THE LORD’S MY SHEPHERD, I’ll not want;
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.
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My soul He doth restore again;
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
E’en for His own name’s sake.
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Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill;
For Thou art with me; and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.
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My table Thou hast furnishèd
In presence of my foes;
My head Thou dost with oil anoint,
And my cup overflows.
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Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me;
And in God’s house forever more
My dwelling place shall be.
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MORNING HAS BROKEN
Morning has broken,
Like the first morning;
Blackbird has spoken
Like the first bird.
Praise for the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them, springing
Fresh from the Word!
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Sweet the rain’s new fall
Sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dewfall
On the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness
Of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness
Where His feet pass.
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Mine is the sunlight!
Mine is the morning
Born of the one light
Eden saw play!
Praise with elation,
Praise every morning,
God’s re-creation
Of the new day!
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GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, O God my Father
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GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
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Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!
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Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
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Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
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TO GOD BE THE GLORY! great things He hath done!
TO GOD BE THE GLORY! great things He hath done!
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
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Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son;
And give Him the glory, great things He hath done!
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O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood!
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
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Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son:
But purer and higher and greater will be
Our wonder, our worship, when Jesus we see!
PRAISE, MY SOUL, the King of Heaven;
PRAISE, MY SOUL, the King of Heaven;
To His feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore His praises sing:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.
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Praise Him for His grace and favour
To our fathers in distress.
Praise Him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness.
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Fatherlike He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows.
In His hands He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Widely yet His mercy flows.
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Frail as summer’s flower we flourish,
Blows the wind and it is gone;
But while mortals rise and perish
Our God lives unchanging on,
Praise Him, Praise Him, Hallelujah
Praise the High Eternal One!
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Angels, help us to adore Him;
Ye behold Him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before Him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace.
Popular Bible readings for a wedding
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The readings below are only popular suggestions. They can be shortened or other choices used.
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The hymn to love (St Paul’s first letter to the Church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 13)
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If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all that I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
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Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophecy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child. When I became an adult, I put childish things behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
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The creation of humankind (The book of Genesis 1:26–28,31)
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Then God said: Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them bear rule over the fish in the sea, over the birds of the air, over the animals; over the whole earth and over all creeping things that crawl on the earth. So God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
God blessed them; God said to them: Be fruitful; multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; bear rule over the fish of the sea; over the birds of the air and over every living, moving creature on earth. God saw that everything He had made was excellent, indeed.
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All families derive from God (St Paul’s letter to the Church in Ephesus, Ephesians 3:14–end)
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I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name, that He may grant you, in keeping with the wealth of His glory, to be empowered with strength in the inner self by His Spirit; that through faith the Christ may dwell in your hearts, that you may be rooted and grounded in love, in order that you may have power to understand with all the saints what is the breadth, the length, the depth, and the height, in fact to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to the whole fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able according to the power that works within us to do everything immeasurably far beyond what we pray or think of, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations for ever and ever, Amen.
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Jesus’ commandment to love as he loves (John’s Gospel 15:9–12)
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Jesus said, ‘Just as the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you; continue in this love of Mine. You will remain in My love if you keep My commands, just as I keep My Father’s commands and remain in His love.
I have talked these matters over with you so that My joy may be in you and your joy be made complete. This is My command, that you love one another as I have loved you.’
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We are to be clothed with love (St Paul’s letter to the Colossians, Colossians 3:12–17)
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As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
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And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
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