St Michael and All Angels Lancing
Weddings
1. If neither party has been married before, or if any previous marriage partners have died
In most circumstances, in order to be married at St Michael's, at least one party has to live in St Michael's Parish.
See if you live in St Michael's Parish
Normally, at least six months notice is required to book a wedding. Make an appointment for the bride and bridegroom to have an initial meeting with Father Barry (Telephone: 01903 753653).
At this first meeting, he will take some personal details from you, book the date and time of the wedding, discuss the kind of service you are going to have and give you an idea what the church fees are going to be. He will collect from you a non-returnable deposit of £25 as a booking fee. This amount will be deducted from the total church fees payable in due course. He will arrange with you a further meeting at which he will talk about the Marriage Service and also a rehearsal just before the wedding day.
St Michael and All Angels Church ready for a wedding
How much does it cost?
As a rough guide, most people are paying about £508 at the moment. This amount includes the statutory fees for Banns of Marriage, the Marriage Service and Marriage Certificate, as well as local charges for flowers, organist, choir and verger, together with a charge for allowing a video recording to be made. The exact total depends on what you have. There is usually an increase in the fees on 1 January each year.
About your wedding day
Pastoral Introduction to the Marriage Service from Common Worship (© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England 2000-2004)
A wedding is one of life's great moments, a time of solemn commitment as well as good wishes, feasting and joy. St John tells us how Jesus shared in such an occasion at Cana, and gave there a sign of new beginnings as he turned water into wine.
Marriage is intended by God to be a creative relationship, as his blessing enables husband and wife to love and support each other in good times and in bad, and to share in the care and upbringing of children. For Christians, marriage is also an invitation to share life together in the spirit of Jesus Christ. It is based upon a solemn, public and life-long covenant between a man and a woman, declared and celebrated in the presence of God and before witnesses.
On this their wedding day the bride and bridegroom face each other, make their promises and receive God's blessing. You are witnesses of the marriage, and express your support by your presence and your prayers. Your support does not end today: the couple will value continued encouragement in the days and years ahead of them.
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13.4-7
© The Archbishops' Council of the Church of England, 2000-2004
All of the official Common Worship publications are being published by Church House Publishing.
2. If either party is divorced, with a former partner still living
The normal practice, subject to due consideration and consultation, is to offer a service of dedication following a ceremony in a Register Office or other building licensed for civil marriages. You can make an appointment with him to discuss it (Telephone 01903 753653).
Office Address:
St Michael’s Vicarage
117 Penhill Road
Lancing
West Sussex
BN15 8HD