marriage

Getting Married at Christ Church, Shelton & Oxon

Congratulations - you have decided to get married.

The Church of England thoroughly believes in marriage for the wellbeing of individuals and society. If you have found 'the one', and you are committed to each other in every respect, there is so much more adventure ahead. We would be thrilled to be part of that adventure too.

Choosing Christian marriage as your way in life is quite special, and our experienced team will do all we can to help you prepare for, understand and enjoy this important step in life. A church wedding at Christ Church, Shelton & Oxon, can be a wonderful occasion and one we hope you will remember for the rest of your life.

The team is:

Priest-in-Charge	Rev'd David O'Brien	01743 231427	obrien.david4@googlemail.com
Wedding Co-ordinator	Mrs Sue Seales	01743 232543	sueseales@yahoo.com
Churchwarden	Mrs Ann Hartley	01743 243097	hartleyoxon@hotmail.com

Can I marry in the Church?

You do not have to be a regular churchgoer to get married in the Chuch of England, neither must you have been baptised. The Church welcomes the opportunity for you to make your solemn promises to each other not just in front of your family and friends but also in the sight of God and with God's blessing.

Thanks to the change of law, there is now a wider criteria to enable you to get married at Christ Church - if you can show that one of you:

has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
was baptised in the parish concerned or
was prepared for confirmation in the parish or
has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months or
that one of your parents, at any time after you were born:
- has lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
- has regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months
that one of your parents or grandparents was married in the parish.

For further information follow the link - Qualifying Connection - and dowload the forms for completion.

You need to be over 16 to be married and if under 18 have the permission of your parents.

If you do not meet one of the above criteria then all is not lost! You will need to join the Electoral Roll (list of Church members). To join the Roll you have to be Baptised and show your commitment to the church by worshipping with us regularly (once a month) for six months. Once you have done so you can have your names added to the Roll.

I am divorced; can I still get married in the Church?

The Church of England believes that marriage is for life. But it recognises that sadly, some marriages do fail. In exceptional circumstances, the Church accepts that a divorced person may marry again. Speak to David. He will want to talk to you frankly about your past and your hopes for the future so that he may give sympathetic consideration to your request. Even if it is not possible for David to conduct your wedding, he may be willing to offer you service of prayer and dedication after a civil ceremony.

Marriage of Persons from outside the ECA

From 2011 the Church of England has applied new rules to those from outwith the ECA who wish to marry in Church. For further information click on this link - Marriage

Weddings During Lent or Advent

In principle you can be married on any day of the week and at any time of the year. However there are particular seasons of the Church year i.e. Lent, Easter and Advent where the Church is busier and so all enquiries and potential dates should always be agreed with the Vicar before you make any other arrangements.

Taking the next step

To make a start on this journey contact one of the team who will take your details and invite you to come to a service to meet us and see our Church. You will be given your Wedding Pack which includes an application form for you to complete. Once this form is completed and returned, the date you have requested will be confirmed. An important part of marriage is what happens after the wedding in Church so you will be invited to attend a Marriage Preparation Day before your big day.

Christ Church has a Flower Club and the members will be delighted to provide the floral decorations for your special day. They are very adept at meeting your budget so please get in touch with either Jenny Onions on 01743 359392 or Penny Hughes on 01743 246759, penang1445@yahoo.co.uk

For really useful information log on to: http://www.churchofengland.org then click on the tab "weddings-baptisms-funerals".

We hope that you have a wonderful wedding day at Christ Church and that it will mark the beginning of a long and very happy marriage.