Most marriages need only a Certificate of No Impediment before they can go ahead. If the wedding is to be held in an Anglican Church, the minister issues this certificate after the Banns have been read.

Reading the Banns means that the minister reads aloud the names of couples who are planning to marry in the church, and invites members of the congregation to register objections, should they have any. Only serious objections such as a previous marriage which has not been dissolved by death or divorce or a relationship within the forbidden degrees between the parties concerned will be considered.

The Banns are read on three consecutive Sundays, anytime during the three months immediately preceding the wedding date.

After the Banns have been read for the three specified Sundays without any substantial objection being raised, the marriage can be solemnised at any time between 8 am and 6 pm on any day thereafter, although the Church discourages weddings during Lent.

What Happens if the Bride or Groom Lives in a Different Parish to the One They Will Marry In?

It may be that the bride or groom (or even both) do not live in the Parish in which they are planning to marry. This is fairly common, as children who have left the parental home often want to return there to marry.

If one of the parties lives in the parish where the wedding is to take place, and the other lives elsewhere:

• Banns must be read in both parishes.
• The minister in the parish where the wedding is not to take place completes a certificate saying that the Banns have been read there and the certificate is taken to the minister in the parish where it will take place.
• The couple is responsible for collecting the certificate and taking it to the officiating minister before the wedding day.
• Both ministers will need to see all the relevant documents, and both must agree to the arrangement.
• Regular attendance at services may be expected in the respective parishes.

If neither of the couple lives in the parish where they wish to marry:

• At least one of the couple must establish residency there before approaching the minister to give notice of intent to marry. They will be expected to attend at least one church service during this period, as well as at least one of the services at which the Banns are read.
• The minister due to perform the ceremony will require a certificate from the minister of the other parish churches, certifying that the banns have in fact been published there too, and that no valid objection has been received.

The tradition of the Banns date from the times when most people lived and died in the same community as their parents and grandparents. Given the often complex family links (and the occasional sexual indiscretion), only your neighbours and family would know if you were too closely related to be married. Reading the Banns obliged anyone with knowledge of this kind to come forward and prevent any possible...

Marriage by common licence is the means of asking for permission to marry in the Anglican Church without the three-week waiting period it takes to read the Banns. However, one of the parties must be resident in the parish where the marriage will take place for 15 days before making the application.

A Common Licence must also be obtained by British citizens normally resident abroad but who wish to marry in the UK and by foreign nationals who wish to marry here. For UK citizens resident here, there must be a good reason for the request, such as an imminent departure overseas, or the anticipated death of one of the parties.

Application must be made in person (by at least one of the parties) to the minister, who submits a request to the Diocese Council giving the full circumstances of the applicant. If he is not able to grant the licence himself, he will be able to advise the couple of the address of the nearest Surrogate or the Diocesan Registrar for granting marriage licences in the Diocese.

To be married by common licence, at least one of the couple must be baptised and neither should be divorced with a former spouse still living. Once the licence is granted the marriage must take place within three calendar months.