Weddings

A wedding is one of life’s great events. It is a time of solemn commitment, of celebration and of new beginnings. At Saint Mary’s we are glad to be able to contribute to such an occasion. In the Bible, we read how Jesus Himself blessed a marriage with His presence, at Cana in Galilee (Gospel of Saint John, 2.1-11).

For Christians, a wedding goes beyond the public signing of the registers. In coming to church to get married, the bride and groom seek the blessing of God for their married life together. Christians believe that this blessing is the source of a life-long union between husband and wife. From it springs love between partners, and the support they should have for one another ‘for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health’, as the Marriage Vows express.

But there also is a legal side to this joyful service of celebration: the bride or groom must live in the Parish of Upton cum Chalvey or be a regular worshipper at Saint Mary's. Bride and groom must be free to marry one another, that is, not related to one another or not previously married. In order to establish this by law, they will need to apply for a marriage license from the Church, or for banns to be read in Saint Mary’s. The marriage needs to be witnessed by two people. There is a fee for the issuing of a marriage license, the reading of banns, and the wedding service.

In preparation for a wedding, a member of the clergy will meet the bride and groom to discuss the purpose and meaning of a Church wedding. If you would like to request a wedding at Saint Mary’s Church, please contact one of the clergy.

Fees:

Saint Mary's Church Slough
Parish of Upton cum Chalvey

Current Fees (2006):

For the current charges for the issuing of a marriage license please contact the Rector. The fees shown above do not include the services of the choir and organist. Separate fixed fees apply. The current fees are available in church or on the Church of England Website.

• Further information: marriage between relations

  I take you to be my husband / wife, to have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law. In the presence of God I make this vow. (Close)

  Banns are the legal practise by which the intention of bride and groom to get married is announced publicly on three successive Sundays at our 9.30 Eucharist. If the bride and groom live in different parishes, banns must be called in both parishes and a certificate that the banns have been read there needs to be provided before their wedding service at Saint Mary's. (Close)

  A marriage license states that all civil and church conditions for marriage have been fulfilled. At Saint Mary's it can be issued by the Rector, who acts as a surrogate for the Registrar of the Diocese of Oxford. (Close)

  On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine.' And Jesus said to her, 'Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.' His mother said to the servants, 'Do whatever He tells you.' Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, 'Fill the jars with water.' And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, 'Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.' So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.' Jesus did this, the first of His signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and His disciples believed in Him. (Close)