Your Wedding in the Parish of Pevensey

If you are reading this, then it may well be that you are considering getting married in one of our two churches. If that is the case, all of us here will do our best to help you plan for your big day. This section of the site contains some useful information and practical considerations that should help you as you start to make plans!  You may also find it useful to take a look at the Church of England website your church wedding

Can anyone be married in Church?

Marriage in church is governed by a mixture of church and state laws, and there are a number of criteria that will need to be met before you can be legally married at St. Nicolas Pevensey or St. Wilfrid Pevensey Bay This might sound a bit negative and daunting, but it’s not as bad as it sounds!

To be married here, one or both of you must be resident in the Parish or, be named on the Church Electoral Roll. (This is not the same as the civil electoral roll). The Church Electoral Roll is only open to regular worshipers at the church. If there are exceptional personal or other reasons, it is possible to be married in any church by ‘Archbishop’s or Special Licence’ Please get in touch if you think this might apply to you.

What if I or my Partner have been married before?

Don't worry! The Christian faith is all about forgiveness and being given a second chance in life. If you or your partner have been married before, please do contact Mthr Merriel and she will be happy to talk things through with you.

Practicalities and Fees

Assuming that there are no legal reasons preventing a church wedding you will want to get in touch with Mthr Merriel sooner rather than later, to discuss things further and arrange a date. Churches, as with all marriage venues get booked very quickly and often several years in advance, so try not to leave things to the last minute. Also please try and resist booking your reception before you have spoken to the church!

The cost of a church wedding is not as prohibitive as you might think. For example the fees for 2023 including all legal and Church Fees, amount to £589, a small fraction of the cost of the average wedding when reception venues, photographers and honeymoons are taken into account.

In addition to the obligatory fees above, we are also able to offer the services of our Organist, Choir and Bell Ringers (St. Nicolas only)

Getting to know us

A church wedding is very special, in that your marriage is not only celebrated in the presence of your family and friends, but more importantly, in the presence of God. The people at both Saint Nicolas' and St. Wilfrid's will want to wish you well for your wedding and keep you in their prayers, and it would be good if we all got to know you a bit before the wedding. Our main Sunday services are welcoming and friendly and we would love to have you with us. In choosing to celebrate your marriage in church, you are asking God to bless your marriage, and as such it makes sense to make a commitment to attending church services, and perhaps exploring further your Christian faith. Please do speak anyone here if you have any questions. Children of all ages are very welcome at both of our churches. 

We hope to be able to welcome you one Sunday in the very near future!