Weddings

You are thinking of getting married? Congratulations!

Here is a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which we hope will help you.


Can I get married at St Anne’s?
Can you answer ‘yes’ to one of these questions:
  • I live in the parish (check "A Church Near You") 
  • My fiancé(e) lives in the parish
  • I have not been married before or my previous spouse has died
  • my fiancé(e) has not been married before or his/her previous spouse has died
  • I or my fiancé(e) worships regularly at St Anne’s and is on the Electoral Roll

I am divorced, or my fiancé is.
Some churches simply say ‘no’ at this point. St Anne’s deeply believes in the welcome of Jesus.  Before going further we ask you to make contact with the vicar and explore with him the possibilities of being married in our church. You still need to answer “yes” either to one of the questions above or to one of the next series of questions.

My family has a long term connection with St Anne’s. I no longer live around here. Can I still get married here?
You can if one of the following applies to either you or your fiancé.

  • One of you were baptised in the parish
  • One of you were prepared for confirmation in the parish
  • One of you has at any time lived in the parish for at least six months
  • One of you has at any time regularly attended normal church services for at least six months
  • One of your parents has lived in the parish for a least six months [during the bride/groom’s lifetime]
  • One of your parents has regularly attended normal church services for at least six months [during the bride/groom’s lifetime]
  • One of your parents or grandparents was married in the parish
These are called ‘qualifying connections’. The church realises that families move around much more than they used to. If one of these is true for you, please come and have a conversation with us. It is slightly complicated in that you need to be able to prove the qualifying connection. You can find more about this by clicking here to visit the Church of England's wedding guidelines. 
 
What do I do next?
We ask you to come to join us for worship on a Sunday morning at 10.30am. At the end of the service catch one of the clergy and ask for a Wedding Application Form. We ask you to fill this in and bring it back to St Anne’s on a Sunday evening between 5.00pm - 5.30pm. There will be someone in Church to receive your form and talk through any initial issues.
 
What happens after this?
We do ‘Marriage Preparation’ in the winter of the year you are to be married. We send out invitations to this event along with a CD which is full of what we like to think of as useful texts and web addresses. After you have attended this session we arrange meetings for you with the particular clergy person who is to take your wedding.
 
How far in advance can I book?
We recognise that couples are very organised and often book their receptions well in advance. However, due to the diary system we use, we cannot book any wedding more than a year in advance. For example, if you wish to be married in 2013, the first opportunity to book your preferred date and time would be on the first Sunday of 2012.
 
I have been asked to have my Banns read at St Anne’s. How do I arrange that?
Firstly, you need to check that you live in St Anne’s Parish. Our parish boundaries are the Bridgewater Canal, the River Mersey and the Brooklands Brook and if you live within that triangle, you probably live in this Parish. You can check "A Church Near You" and click on the Find Us page for the exact boundaries.

Then come to St Anne’s on a Sunday evening between 5.00pm - 5.30pm. One of the team will take your details and arrange for your Banns to be called. Banns can only be read three months before the Wedding and take three weeks to read. We encourage you to come about four months before your wedding.