Weddings

St. Mary’s Tatsfield is a wonderful venue to have your marriage service. It is a small but beautiful church in a wonderful setting but more importantly holding the ceremony in church means seeking God’s blessing for your relationship. It also means you will be held in the prayers of the local Christian community.

 All couples are invited to an initial meeting with the vicar. For weddings between citizens with UK passports, marriage is normally by ‘banns’. This means that an announcement is made on three consecutive weeks in church in the three months before you are to be married. If you live in Tasfield and hold UK passports you will automatically qualify to be married here. If you do not live in Tatsfield but have a special connection to the church or village (for example you used to live here, your parents live here, you or your parents worship or use to worship at St Mary’s) it may well still be possible. 

In addition to preparation with the Vicar, wedding couples may be invited to attend a marriage preparation morning.  This is usually a Saturday morning with lunch. The day explores expectations of marriage, its meaning and dealing with relationship issues. It is also a good opportunity to meet other couples getting married within our team of churches.

For weddings where at least one of the wedding couple holds an Overseas Passport, you will almost certainly need to be married by ‘common license’ instead of banns. Please call the Vicar and he will explain the process you need to go through to you.

If either party has been divorced, marriage in church is possible, but is not automatic and needs to be carefully considered together with the Vicar. In line with Church of England policy, marriage of divorcees is allowed within certain conditions. The couple is encouraged to meet with the Vicar to discuss their circumstances.

If you would like to consider getting married at St. Mary’s, the best thing to do would be to come along to a service on a Sunday and to see the church for yourself and introduce yourself to a member of clergy.

For an initial conversation or to book a meeting with a vicar contact 01883 712512 or email stmoffice.lttm@btinternet.com.

Marriage Blessings

For married couples who wish to give thanks for their marriage and to seek God’s blessing, there is the opportunity to have a special ceremony with their family and friends in church. This may be for a couple who were originally married some time ago in a civil ceremony at a Registrar’s Office and who have now decided to bring their marriage under God and to renew their vows according the church’s understanding of marriage. Alternatively, it may be for a couple married some years ago in church and who have reached a special anniversary or a significant moment in their relationship.