Your Wedding

Getting Married at
St Peters, Dunston

_______________________

Many congratulations on your forthcoming marriage and I am delighted that you have
chosen to be married at St Peters Dunston. This booklet attempts to answer some of the
main questions you may have concerning getting married in church and it sets out our
Parish Wedding Policy. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to speak to
either the churchwardens or the priest officiating at your wedding.
Eligibility:
There are a number of criteria you must fulfil in order to be eligible for marriage and we
can explore these at our first meeting. Provided that neither partner is already married,
the main criteria are:Couples must be over 16 years of age on their wedding day (parental consent required if
under 18).
At least one of you must be resident in the Parish; OR one or both of you are on the
Electoral Roll (This is the register of Church members). If you do not live in the Parish,
you may apply for membership if you have been a regular worshipper for at least 6
months; OR in exceptional circumstances, a Common/Special or Superintendents
Licence is issued.
Since 2008, it has been possible to be married in a parish where you
are not resident by virtue of a qualifying connection (i.e. Baptised/Confirmed, residency
for 6 months at some point in your life, or a connection through parents and
grandparents in the parish).
If you are planning to change address prior to the wedding, again, please keep the
officiating minister informed. Proof of residency will be required of you.
If you are not sure which is your parish, you can do a parish search on:
www.achurchnearyou.com/parishmap.php
THE BANNS
If you are eligible to be married by Banns, these are called within 3-months of your
wedding generally on three consecutive Sundays at one of the main services and you will
be advised when this will be. Please come to church to hear them and make a point of
introducing yourself to the stewards at the door. The church family will be praying for
you as you prepare for your wedding and it is always good for us to put faces to the
names of the people we are praying for! After the service, please do stay for
refreshments.
AWAY BANNS
If either of you live outside the Parish you will also need to get the banns called in that
parish (Anglican Parish) as well as your home parish. It is the responsibility of couples
to ensure that banns are published in all the appropriate parishes. Contact the parish
priest well in advance (at least 4 months prior to your wedding) to arrange the calling of
banns.
When the banns have been read and completed by the parish priest, you must
collect the certificate and give it to the priest officiating at your weddingat least a
fortnight before the wedding.
When banns are called in more than one parish, there will be more than one sets of fees.
These fees vary every year. Please check with the churchwardens for current fees.

BANNS APPLICATION FORM

When you book your wedding, you will need to complete a Banns Application Form and
return it to the churchwarden. A deposit of 50 is required before the Banns are
called.
MARRIAGE AFTER DIVORCE
Your church wishes you a lifetime of love that grows within God's protection. But we
recognise that some marriages do fail for all sorts of sad and painful reasons. So in
certain circumstances the Church of England accepts that a divorced person may marry
again . This needs to be discussed with the priest before the wedding is booked. Even
if it is not possible to do your wedding, they may offer a service of prayer and dedication
after a civil wedding. The Original of the Decree Absolute must be seen by the
officiating minister at this first meeting.
WEDDING INTERVIEWS AND REHEARSAL
The Officiating Minister will want to arrange to meet with you prior to your wedding to
talk about you and your wedding, to go through the service with you and to fix a date
for the wedding rehearsal. At your first meeting, please bring original and one copy
of the following documents:
i)
Birth Certificate
ii)
Baptism Certificate
iii)
Proof of identity (eg passport or driving license)
Iv)
Proof of address.
WEDDING PREPARATION
The parishes in this group would like any persons wishing to get married in one of the
churches to become a worshipping member of the congregation for a period of at least 6
months up until the date of marriage, so that the congregation can welcome you and
support you as you prepare for your special day. You will also need to meet with the
Officiating Minister to help you prepare them for this special day.
FLOWERS
You may either provide your own flowers or the Church flower team can do an
arrangement for you. If you would like particular types or colours of flowers then the
Flower Team will do everything they can to oblige. However, this will incur a fee which
can be obtained through the churchwardens. The Churchwardens will give you the
contact details of the flower arrangers.
Please arrange this with the churchwardens in
plenty of time.

MUSIC & READINGS

The Officiating Minister will be happy to talk to you initially about appropriate music and
hymns for your wedding. The churchwarden will then give you the details of the
organist who will be playing for your wedding so that you can have some further
conversations. The Church of England Website has a section that enables you to listen

to a selection of popular wedding hymns.

http://www.yourchurchwedding.org/hymns-media-player.aspx

PHOTOGRAPHS IN CHURCH
In order that the photographs do not impinge upon the service, we have a strict policy of
no flash photography and no walking about with a camera. Instructions to the
photographer are enclosed with this pack and an adherence will ensure that you get the
photos you want. Please will you ensure that the photographer receives these
instructions.
BELLS
All our Churches have bells and a dedicated team of bell ringers. They would be delighted to
ring the bells in celebration of your marriage either before and/or as you leave the church
after the service.
CONFETTI
All our churches permit the use of biodegradable confetti. Dunston away from the church
doors, down the path.
TOILETS
Dunston has no facilities, unless the village hall is open.

WHAT IT WILL COST

Please see the separate fees sheet that has the legal fees for the current year and fees
for additional services such as bells, organists etc. There is a slight increment each year.
Please ensure you have the most current fees leaflet from the churchwardens.

FEES
A deposit of 50 is required to secure a date for your wedding before the Banns are
called. The outstanding balance is required no later than 1 month prior to the wedding
. You can pay by Cash or cheque. Ideally please pay the Statutory Fees by cheque and
the extras (bells, organist, heating etc) in cash.

We look forward to meeting with you and discussing your wedding in more detail. In the
meantime, may God bless you and guide you as you prepare for this next and very
exciting chapter in your lives.

Please be assured of our prayers.

With every blessing.

Updated November 2014

WHAT IT WILL COST

The fees set out below are for 2014/2015. There is a slight increment each year.
Please ensure you have the updated copy from the churchwardens.
YEAR

2014

2015

Statutory Fee: Marriage in Church

392.00

413.00

Publication of Banns at church where

you will marry

Certificate of Banns

13.00

13.00

Marriage Certificate at Registration

4.00

4.00

TOTAL BASIC LEGAL FEES

419.00

21.00

28.00

To make arrangements for your wedding please contact the Churchwarden:

Sue Glaister
10 Spring Court
Dunston
Lincoln
LN4 2EG
Tel: 01526 320946
Email: sueglaister@btinternet.com

458.00

ADDITIONAL local fees for 2015

Heating

Dunston 15.00

Verger

40.00

OPTIONAL fees below for 2015

Organist

60.00

Church Flower Arrangers

To be negotiateddependent on number
of arrangements and flowers used. .

Bells : Before and After

210.00 (Dunston 5 bells)

100.00 (Dunston5 Bells)

: After Only

FEES
A deposit of 50 is required to secure a date for your wedding before the Banns are
called. The outstanding balance is required no later than 1 month prior to the
wedding . You can pay by Cash or cheque although the preference is that all fees are
paid by cheque in full one month before the wedding.