Weddings
Getting married? Congratulations
We are excited that you are considering getting married at St Laurence, Meriden. It is common to have many questions about the process and how things work, and so we’ll go over a few of them now.
Can I get married in the church?
This depends on whether you have a qualifying connection or not. If you think you don’t, please don’t worry, it is still possible to get married in church, and we’ll be happy to discuss this with you.
Those who have been divorced can be remarried in church; however, it is at the minister’s discretion, and so will involve meeting with the minister to discuss your particular situation.
Do I have a ‘Qualifying Connection’?
A person has a Qualifying Connection with a parish if that person fulfils one of the following requirements:
- Has one of you lived in the parish for at least 6 months?
- Has one of you been baptised (christened) in the parish?
- Has one of you been confirmed in the parish?
- Has one of you regularly gone to church services in the parish for at least 6 months?
- Has one of your parents (after you were born) lived in the parish for at least 6 months?
- Has one of your parents (after you were born) gone to church services in the parish for at least 6 months?
- Has one of your parents or grandparents been married in the church?
If you do not currently have a ‘Qualifying Connection’ this does not have to be a barrier to getting married at St Laurence. We want you to have the best possible start to your married life and a wedding conducted in the eyes of God, we believe is the best possible start for you to have.
If you attend at least one service at St Laurence a month for six months, then you would qualify to become a church member, and so entitled to be married at St Laurence.
Our services take place at 10:30am each Sunday.
Other questions
How many can St Laurence accommodate?
Although the church looks small, it can actually comfortably seat 150. If your guests are willing to be a bit more friendly, we can accommodate up to 200!
What do we so next?
Talk to the Priest-in-Charge, Rev Kevin Flanagan.
We like to recommend if possible for you to attend a church service one Sunday, then over coffee afterwards we can meet up, put a face to a name and answer any questions you may have, as well as showing you around the church.
If you like what you see, then we can give you the forms you’ll need to fill in and arrange a time and date to meet up and discuss the details.
Any further questions, or just to introduce yourself, please drop Kevin an email on vicar.kevin@gmail.com
The legal bits...
In a marriage service the minister acts as a registrar. Certain legal restrictions apply to the service, and again they can be discussed if you have any concerns.
The normal procedure is for your wedding to be preceded by its announcement on 3 Sundays at the main service in the churches where you live and where the wedding will take place. This is called “Banns”.