God invented marriage, and gave it as a gift to all mankind. We therefore welcome enquires about weddings! However, a church wedding is a legal as well as a Christian ceremony. In order to fulfil the legal requirements people must be married by Banns.
If one of you lives within our parish and neither of you has been married before and you are both UK citizens you can be married here by Banns.
You can check to see if you live within the ecclesiastical parish of Hartford by checking this map (pdf document, opens new window).
In certain other circumstances, you may still be able to be married here: please see the questions below.
How do we apply?
Please contact the Vicar or the Church Office to make an initial enquiry. A date for your wedding cannot be confirmed until you have spoken to the Vicar. You will be given a Wedding Pack which contains a number of items to help you prepare for getting married at St John’s. Some of these can also be downloaded from this website.
The pack contains:
- Notes on your Wedding - everything you need to know about planning your wedding at St John's
- Photos and Videos at Weddings - please give these to your photographer and/or video photographer
- The Marriage Service - the service we will use at your wedding
- MB1 Banns of Marriage Application Form - you will need to collect this from the Vicar or Church Office. Please fill in and return (even if not marrying by banns). This is not available to download for copyright reasons.
- The Highway Code for Marriage (book by Michael & Hilary Perrott) - a practical, short and wise book to help you prepare for marriage
- two ways to live: the choice we all face - a brief outline of the Christian faith. This is also available from the Finding Faith page.
Can we get married at St John’s if...
... we don’t live in the parish, and have no links with St. John’s?
Yes, if you attend church regularly for six months in order to qualify for membership of the Electoral Roll. You then marry by Banns.
... we don’t live in the parish, but have links with St. John’s?
Yes, if you have a “qualifying connection” you may marry here by Banns. The legally defined connections are that one of you:
- was baptised or prepared for confirmation in the parish;
- has ever lived in the parish for six months or more;
- has at any time regularly attended public worship in the parish for six months or more;
- has a parent or parents who lived in the parish for six months or more in your lifetime;
- has a parent or parents who regularly attended public worship here for six months or more in your lifetime;
- has a parent or grandparent who was married in the parish.
... we don’t live in the parish or near enough to worship regularly, but have a link that isn’t a “qualifying connection”?
It may be possible for you to be married by an Archbishop’s Special Licence. You will need to demonstrate a ‘genuine and long-standing connection with the church’. If the Vicar agrees to your being married this way, you will need to apply for the licence from: The Faculty Office, 1 The Sanctuary, Westminster, London SW1P 3JT, tel: 020 7222 5381, web: www.facultyoffice.org.uk.
... one of us is not a UK citizen?
If you would otherwise be entitled to marry in the parish you will usually need to apply for a Common Licence. Please check with your own consular authorities that your marriage here will be recognised in your own country. These are always special cases, and we would ask the Diocesan Registrar for advice on your behalf.
... one of us has been divorced?
If either of you has been married before and then divorced from a partner who is still living, then we cannot marry you at St John’s. We understand that many people will find this hard and upsetting, and we will gladly meet with you to explain why we believe that Jesus’ teaching makes this necessary. Each parish minister makes his or her own policy on this, so you will find parishes differ widely.
