Weddings
A Church of England Wedding in the Windrush Benefice
Congratulations! We are delighted that you have decided to celebrate your love for each other in marriage. The more so, we are encouraged that you are seeking to be married in a service of matrimony; perhaps in one of our 5 beautiful Cotswold churches.
The Windrush Benefice – Qualifying Connections
The Benefice comprises five distinct parishes. Please be aware that in order to marry in one of the churches of this Benefice, we are bound by current Church and Diocese regulations, to ask for evidence that you or your fiancé(e) either:
Qualifying Connections
Qualifying Connections were established by the Church of England and Parliament in 2005. This clause means that you may also marry in a particular parish church if you or your fiancé(e) meet one or more of the following as defined by Law:
Achieving Qualifying Connection
You and your fiancé(e) may, due to circumstance, not be in a position to meet any of the parameters set in the paragraphs above. We continue to welcome any couple wishing to make their vows before God and will support your development of the Qualifying Connection. In this case, subject to a further conversation, this will usually take the form of at least 12 visits for a service of Worship and your presence during the Reading of Banns.
What if one of us is divorced?
The Church of England holds two understandings in tension: the belief that marriage is a faithful, life-long commitment between a man and a woman, along with the recognition that, for all sorts of reasons, this is not always the case. If either of you has been previously married, a request for a subsequent marriage will be considered by the Vicar only after a personal interview.
The Practicalities
Please be aware that a legal right to marry in this benefice does not extend to the decision about the day or the time; that is by request and only with the agreement of the Vicar.
The Church of England considers the Marriage Service to be an ordinance of the Church, and so there are some restrictions on what is, and what is not, acceptable in the ceremony.
Once you have made contact, you will be guided through both the legalities and the practicalities of your Church wedding to make sure that your day is as special and memorable as it should be.
You may find the following link helps to answer other questions that you have about a Church wedding.
https://www.yourchurchwedding.org/article/legal-requirements/
We look forward to welcoming you and your partner to Windrush Benefice !
Congratulations! We are delighted that you have decided to celebrate your love for each other in marriage. The more so, we are encouraged that you are seeking to be married in a service of matrimony; perhaps in one of our 5 beautiful Cotswold churches.
The Windrush Benefice – Qualifying Connections
The Benefice comprises five distinct parishes. Please be aware that in order to marry in one of the churches of this Benefice, we are bound by current Church and Diocese regulations, to ask for evidence that you or your fiancé(e) either:
- Live in one of these ecclesiastical (i.e. as distinct from ‘civil’) parishes, namely Aldsworth (St Bartholomew), Great Barrington (St Mary), Little Barrington (St Peter), Sherborne (St Mary) or Windrush (St Peter)
- Are already a regular worshipping member of one of these churches
- Or, have another sort of ‘Qualifying Connection’ (see below)
Qualifying Connections
Qualifying Connections were established by the Church of England and Parliament in 2005. This clause means that you may also marry in a particular parish church if you or your fiancé(e) meet one or more of the following as defined by Law:
- Were baptised or confirmed in that parish church
- Your parents or grandparents were married in that parish church
- You have, in the past, lived in that parish for at least six months
- During your lifetime, one or more of your parents has lived in that parish for at least six months
- During your lifetime, one or more of your parents has habitually worshipped in that parish church for at least six months
- A Qualifying Connection in one of the parishes of a benefice (a legal group of churches) will serve for any one of the other churches in the benefice.
Achieving Qualifying Connection
You and your fiancé(e) may, due to circumstance, not be in a position to meet any of the parameters set in the paragraphs above. We continue to welcome any couple wishing to make their vows before God and will support your development of the Qualifying Connection. In this case, subject to a further conversation, this will usually take the form of at least 12 visits for a service of Worship and your presence during the Reading of Banns.
What if one of us is divorced?
The Church of England holds two understandings in tension: the belief that marriage is a faithful, life-long commitment between a man and a woman, along with the recognition that, for all sorts of reasons, this is not always the case. If either of you has been previously married, a request for a subsequent marriage will be considered by the Vicar only after a personal interview.
The Practicalities
Please be aware that a legal right to marry in this benefice does not extend to the decision about the day or the time; that is by request and only with the agreement of the Vicar.
The Church of England considers the Marriage Service to be an ordinance of the Church, and so there are some restrictions on what is, and what is not, acceptable in the ceremony.
Once you have made contact, you will be guided through both the legalities and the practicalities of your Church wedding to make sure that your day is as special and memorable as it should be.
You may find the following link helps to answer other questions that you have about a Church wedding.
https://www.yourchurchwedding.org/article/legal-requirements/
We look forward to welcoming you and your partner to Windrush Benefice !
