Weddings
If you are considering getting married at St Mary’s you must either live in the parish of St Mary’s or you must be able to demonstrate a 'qualifying connection' with St Mary's.
St Mary's Church is not only a beautiful buidling, but a holy place in which to exchange wedding vows, celebrate with family and friends and receive the blessing of God upon your marriage.
This is your service and we are here to help you celebrate this sacrament in the best way possible - by planning the shape, form and content of the service, understanding the spiritual and symbolic significance of the words you say and the actions you perform, and of the commitment you are making; creating the right atmosphere through music and liturgy for the celebration of the sacrament.
St Mary's has a strong music tradition and we offer our excellent professional choral scholars that most wedding couples request to sing at their wedding.
The aim of this process is to make your wedding a profoundly personal, spiritual and emotional experience - a suitable place to declare your love for each other and to celebrate the goodness of God, that you have found each other, and that you now wish to begin a journey of mutual love as a couple together for the rest of your lives.
If you would like to book your wedding at St Mary's please contact the Parish Administrator via the Contact Us page to register your details and to arrange an initial meeting.
Our booklet, 'Arranging your Wedding at St Mary's, a Guide for Wedding Couples', may be downloaded here
You may have the Church bells rung after your wedding service. The clergy will discuss this with you.
When Church bells are rung for a wedding it is part of our country's wonderful heritage,and a striking and joyful way to announce to the outside world the commitment you have made to each other. The process of bellringing is not mechanised, but an ancient craft. Each time that you hear English church bells it is trained bell ringers who take hold and pull the bell ropes at hand stroke and backstroke. The bells are hung in the wooden bell tower of St. Mary's above the ringers. We hope you enjoy them. The society of St. Mary's Bell Ringers provide a welcoming experience and if you would like, they are happy to meet you ahead of your special day, and 'show you the ropes'!
PLEASE NOTE : there are very substantial changes happening to the way we register marriages. Please download the attached document, issued by the Diocese of Guildford, which outlines what is known at the moment. We will update this as we hear more.
You may have the bells rung after your wedding service. The clergy will discuss this with you.