Faith

Times were when a couple wanting to get married away from their local church had to forego their Sunday morning lie-in and be seen to go to the church of their choice for at least six months.

Leaflets: out on the street

But that’s all over. (And the Sunday lie-in is back!)

Following the introduction of the Marriage Measure law on Oct 1st 2008, engaged couples can now get married in any church where they have a special connection.

Now, the Church of England is planning a big push to persuade brides and bridegrooms-to-be that a church wedding really is an option.

"It’s marvellous," said Revd Jan Harney. "It means that if you’ve moved to another part of the country, you can still get married in the church where say, granny and granddad, or mum and dad had their wedding."

Website

A new C of E website, www.yourchurchwedding.org has been launched to help couples plan their service offering readings, special words and hymns.

"It's traditional" - Thomas and Heather

And for those couples unsure about approaching a real vicar, Revd Harney has a presence on the site as a ‘virtual vicar’ answering questions about church weddings and married life. She even runs a blog.

"People think there are all sorts of rules to get married," she said. "For example, a lot of brides want to know: ‘Do I have to wear white?’ or ‘How many bridesmaids should there be?’. And I’m just there to help."

Thomas Beard, 24 and Heather Kennedy, 20 both from Salford agreed that a church wedding would be their choice.

"It just feels more official, involving both the Church and the family," said Heather. "Certainly older family members would prefer a traditional church service," added Thomas.

Wedding Show

With a host of licensed premises ranging from football grounds to hotels competing in the wedding business, the Church of England is taking a much more targeted approach in pushing the church wedding as an option.

And on 19th and 20th October, the Church will have a stand at the Manchester Wedding Show at Manchester Central (formerly G-Mex) offering advice and help to couples looking to tie the knot.

"We’ll be there handing out leaflets, advice and even cuddles!" added Revd Harney.  "I don’t want to call them customers but it’s a great opportunity to talk to people who are planning their wedding.

"In the end, we just want to make the Church more welcoming."