Getting Married in Church - A Church of England Wedding - faith, hope and love.

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Did You Know?

Wedding facts

  • The Church of England is a Christian presence in every community. Its 16,000 churches are places of peace, thanksgiving and celebration for everyone in the land.
  • The Church of England has some of the most beautiful wedding venues in the country; two-thirds of Church of England churches are listed.
  • Top reasons for choosing a church wedding are the venue, the vows and the Vicar.
  • Half the UK population goes to a church or chapel for a wedding in any given year. (ORB 2007)
  • The Church of England carries out 54,000 weddings a year out of around 250,000.
  • All church weddings account for about a third of total weddings in the UK.
  • 53% of the UK population agrees that church weddings feel more ‘proper’.
  • You are welcome to marry in a church whether or not you are baptised.
  • You don’t have to go to church to get married in a church.
  • You are welcome to marry in a CofE church whatever your beliefs.
  • Brides don’t have to wear white for their church wedding.
  • You don't have to marry on a Saturday. Read more
  • You don't have to promise to 'obey' in the vows of modern marriage services.
  • Less than £350 will cover the legal necessities of marrying in church. Read more
  • A wedding ring is a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, and of the commitment you are making to each other.
  • Weddings are only legal if they have taken place between 8am and 6pm.
  • 51% of unmarried 18-24 year olds aspire to marriage.
  • 85% of married people and 59% of unmarried people rate the decision to marry as the most serious one in life.
  • 86% of married people and 64% of unmarried people agree that “despite the challenges, marriage is important to society”.
  • The number one cause for concern in modern society is the breakdown of traditional family structures. [ComRes poll, for theology thinktank Theos, 2008].

 

These might not be the most romantic statistics about marriage but worth knowing all the same:

  • If one of you dies, unlike couples who live together, the living spouse will not be liable to inheritance tax on your property.
  • Only a husband and wife, or a couple who have signed a civil partnership, can pass money between them free of inheritance tax.
  • Pensions of married couples transfer to their living spouse upon the death of one of them. This isn’t the case for couples who live together.
  • Laws around capital gains tax mean that you can transfer assets such as property or shares from wife to husband and vice versa. If you are not married, it is treated as a sale with tax implications.
  • The Church hopes that marriages will last for the rest of a couple’s life, but should it fail, leaving a marriage, as opposed to a relationship in which you live together, protects the woman particularly from a financial point of view and legally regarding children. Couples who live together have fewer rights when separating and there are no clear rules about allocation of assets and money.

Did You Know ?

There are 7 steps to a heavenly wedding

The Church offers family-friendly weddings for couples with children. Read more

You are welcome to marry in a CofE church whatever your beliefs

There are some special things you need to know if you're a non-British national and would love a CofE wedding. Find out more

If you're soon-to-be-married, you could be featured in The Times. Find out how.