Weddings at St Michael's
Matt Heath, https://mattheathphotography.com/, used by permission
God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them. (1 John 4.16)
A wedding is one of life’s big moments! It is full of joy and celebration, and is also a time of solemn commitment, as a man and a woman pledge the rest of their lives to each other, in good times and in bad.
A marriage in Church is very special. It reminds us that marriage is a gift of God, given in creation, and it is one of the ways that the love and grace of God are known in the world. During the service, prayers are said for the couple, and we ask that God will richly bless their marriage.
A wedding service at St Michael’s will contain the traditional vows, and the giving and receiving of rings. It will contain one or more readings from the Bible, to help us to reflect on God’s love and grace. It will also contain music and hymns and readings chosen by the couple. We always aim to make a wedding service as personal to each couple as we can.
St Michael’s is a very beautiful place to get married, with a beautiful building and our peaceful grounds, which always look great in photographs. We also offer a marriage preparation course, free of charge, which takes place on a Saturday in May each year.
If you would like to enquire about a wedding at St Michael’s, please contact the vicar,
Revd David Cattle: vicar@stmichaelsgalleywood.org.uk
More information about weddings at St Michael's, including fees, can be found <here>
A great resource for helping couples to think about their wedding service is: https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding
Just a note about the law: There are laws about where we are allowed to get married. Those who live in the Parish of Galleywood have a legal right to get married here. You can also get married here if you have a genuine historical or family connection with the Church or the Parish. Those who don’t qualify, but who live reasonably close by, can establish what’s called a qualifying connection by attending the Church regularly for six months. The full list of qualifying connections can be found here: https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding/just-engaged/finding-church-your-wedding
It is strongly recommended that couples book the Church at the same time as booking a venue for the reception, just to make sure that all the timings work. Please contact David if you have any questions about any of this.