A marriage service, wherever it is held, is a public declaration of love and commitment to your partner.
If you choose to get married in church, there is an added dimension – the assurance that God cares about your relationship and that his resources and strength are available to help you. Including God in your marriage doesn’t mean that you will avoid all the usual ups and downs, but you will know that you can look to God for help and guidance and that his love will sustain you. You will also have the support and encouragement of the Christian Church family.
Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God. In the marriage ceremony, a couple make a public declaration of lifelong commitment to love each other, come what may.
The Bible compares married love with the love Jesus has for his followers. He expressed his love by being prepared to sacrifice Himself, even to die for the people He loved. This is amazing, unconditional love. Jesus never said ‘I love you, but …’. In our marriages we can try to follow his model by loving our partners in a self-sacrificial way, putting their needs before our own.
The marriage ceremony gives you a new legal status as husband and wife and a new stability within which your relationship can flourish and grow. Christians believe that marriage offers the right place for the fulfilment of our sexuality and that it provides a stable and secure environment for bringing up children.
We hope that you have a wonderful wedding day and that it will mark the beginning of a long and very happy marriage.
Making arrangements
Anyone living in the parish is entitled to be married at St Matt’s. If you are an active, worshipping member of another church congregation, it is usually possible to be married there if you wish.
For information about weddings at St. Matt’s, please contact the Church Office via email or phone 01892 618108.
text adapted from Funerals in the Church of England,
Church House Publishing, 2003.
Reproduced and adapted with permission.
