Marriage at St Mary’s

Congratulations! We’re really glad you’re thinking of getting married at St Mary’s and we’d love to help you on your special day.

Here are some questions you might have as you begin the process of organising the day.

Why get married at St Mary’s?

We love marrying people at this church: around twenty couples a year get married here. We have a beautiful church in a beautiful park setting, a wonderful organist, a choir to help lead the singing and bells to lead the celebrations as you leave the church as husband and wife. We do everything that we can to make this YOUR special day and to make sure that the service reflects your personalities.

Who can be married here?

There are a variety of ways that you may be eligible to celebrate your wedding at St Mary’s. The changes mean an engaged couple are welcome to be married in church at St Mary’s if one of these applies:

• one of them was baptised or prepared for confirmation at St Mary’s;
• one of them has ever lived in St Mary’s parish for six months or more;
• one of them has at any time regularly attended public worship at St Mary’s for six months or more;
• one of their parents has lived in St Mary’s parish for six months or more in their child’s lifetime;
• one of their parents has regularly attended public worship at St Mary’s for six months or more in their child’s lifetime;
• their parents or grandparents were married at St Mary’s.
• If you live in the parish you are also entitled to get married in the parish church.

How do I know if I live in the parish?

Click here for a  map that shows you the borders of the parish.

What if one of us is divorced?

We believe marriage is for life. At the same time, we recognise that sadly some marriages do fail. We also recognise that some of the most successful marriages are those where one or other partner has already been married and divorced, and in our church we do marry people who have previously been divorced.

While we aren’t interested in a witch hunt about who was responsible for the break-up of a previous marriage, we do expect to have a frank discussion in the course of wedding preparation about prior experience of marriage and what lessons have been learnt.

Equal marriage

It is not currently legally possible for us to conduct marriages for gay and lesbian couples in our church, but we would very much like to be able to celebrate with any gay or lesbian couple who wished to have their relationship blessed here at our church. Please do not be put off by the official position of the Church of England; here at St Mary’s we would love to work with you to shape a service that reflects your love for each other and God’s love for you, and to welcome you and your family and friends.  Please do not hesitate to be in touch. You will receive a warm welcome and much support.

How much does it cost?

It depends what you want! Extra flowers, the choir, the bells all add to the cost, but the basic price for a wedding with hymns, flowers and the organ playing is around £1000. But do discuss things with us, we’ll be happy to have the conversation-without obligation!

How do I book a wedding at St Mary’s?

Start by giving the Rectory a call on 020 8647 1973 or email weddings@stmarysbeddington.org.uk. However you get in touch, we’d love to be part of your wedding plans.