Weddings
Congratulations if you have just got engaged and are thinking about getting married in one of the seven churches in the Parish of the Solway Plain – you have come to the right place! You may even have begun making plans about your wedding day and we would like to help you make your day special.
If you currently live within the Solway Plain or if you live elsewhere but have one or more of the family connections to one of our churches then you can be married in that particular parish church.
If you are not sure which parish you live in, you can go to the website A Church Near You www.acny.org.uk and enter your postcode. This will tell you which Church of England parish you live in.
We would like to welcome you and help you make your life-long marriage vows in our holy places set aside to worship God.
You are very welcome to join us in any of our Sunday services and to look around the particular church you have chosen to make your wedding promises in and meet our friendly congregations.
Please contact one of the clergy in the first instance for a friendly chat to talk through things with you. He will invite you to meet with him and/or the minister who may conduct your wedding ceremony. If we get as far as arranging your wedding for you will have a full rehearsal in church a day or two before the big day.
If you go to www.yourchurchwedding.org you’ll find an external website which explains all you need to know about weddings in the Church of England. It will guide you through the kind of service you can have and how special a church wedding can be.
You can marry in one of our Churches if you can show:-
That one of you:
- Lives in the parish or has done, at any time 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 (fortnightly) 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 (fortnightly) gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months or
That one of your parents or grandparents:
- was married in the parish
In all cases involving church services – i.e. going to normal church services, baptism, confirmation or marriage – this applies only to Church of England services. Even if you cannot demonstrate any of the above connections, we want to help you explore whether it may still be possible for you to marry in your special church.
Talk to one of the clergy in good time to discuss the options open to you.