Ministries

We will do our best to make your wedding day memorable for you, your family and your friends. This will be a very exciting time for both of you with many things to think about and plan.

The Rector has a legal responsibility to be satisfied that you can lawfully marry in the parish before any arrangements can be fixed. To make this process as quick and simple as possible, it is best to contact us.

Once these issues have been clarified all the arrangements for the wedding service can be discussed, including costs, and any questions that you have can be raised. We also have a flower group who are able to create floral decorations for St John’s if required.

Why get married at St John’s?

St John’s and St Andrew’s are beautiful churches, both with green spaces around them, making the perfect location for a traditional wedding. However, there are certain other important distinctions which make a church wedding different to a civil service in a registry office or other licensed venue. Here are three things that we believe about marriage which might see us take a different approach to a wedding:

• We believe that marriage is a gift from God; a gift which celebrates joy and love, a gift which helps us care for one another – especially children, and a gift which helps to build and strengthen our communities. Because of this we want to help you celebrate the decision you have made to marry.
• We believe that there is a certain solemnity and seriousness to marriage. The vows taken and the promises made are hugely important, because they are made for life. Because of this we treat marriage with reverence and respect.
• We believe that marriage works best when God is ‘at the centre’ – the Bible tells us that ‘love comes from God’, he gives us the love to be faithful and sacrificial in our marriages. To that end, we will pray for you, include a Bible reading and a short talk in the service, so that you might consider God’s love as you prepare for marriage.