Weddings and Blessings

We believe marriage is a gift from God and that getting married is a beautiful, personal and spiritual commitment. We would love to help you make your wedding day as memorable as possible.

Your wedding day is likely to be one of the happiest and most memorable events of your life, and in the lives of your family and friends. We would be delighted if you chose to hold your marriage ceremony in St Ystyfan’s Church, and we will do everything we can to make your wedding as special as possible.

In this section, you can discover what you need to think about as you begin to plan and prepare for your Church in Wales wedding.

Getting married in our church, will ensure that your marriage ceremony is full of depth and spirituality. As part of the marriage service, we will ask God to bless and guide you as you begin your married life, and we’ll pray that God will accompany you on your journey through life together.

Our vicar will spend time getting to know you ahead of your big day so that he can help make your marriage celebration unique to you. There are lots of ways to do that, with a wide variety of prayers, readings, hymns, songs and other music to choose from. We’ve included some suggestions for you below. In addition to the set elements of the ceremony, you can add some additional words and promises to share with one another if you choose to.

There are some legal requirements for getting married in a Church in Wales church but please don’t worry, we’ll take time to talk through everything with you.

Thank you for considering our church as you prepare for your special day. We pray that it will be everything you hope for.

We would love to help you celebrate the blessing of your marriage.

Many couples who have had a civil wedding, whether in the UK or abroad, also choose to dedicate their marriage to God.

A marriage blessing is usually a simple service acknowledging the commitment already made by the couple at their civil ceremony. It asks for God’s blessing upon them, and guidance for their new life together.

If you would like to have a civil marriage blessed, there are no legal preliminaries, and it is available to all, including same sex couples. Because it is not a marriage service, banns are not required, and there is no legal paperwork or registers to be signed.

A marriage blessing can be designed to have a similar feel to a wedding with hymns and songs, readings, flowers and even bells if they are available. Some people prefer their blessing to feel like a traditional wedding, others prefer a more low-key service.

You have a right to be married in your local parish church and may also have an entitlement to be married in other parishes where you or your family has a connection.

The law requires that at least one of those to be married must:

1. reside in the parish where the wedding is to take place; or
2. be entered on the church electoral roll (the membership list of regular worshippers in the parish); or
3. have a ‘qualifying connection’.

According to the Marriage (Wales) Act 2010, one (or more) of the following must apply in order to show a ‘qualifying connection’:

• you were baptised or confirmed in the parish;

• that you have at any point lived for at least six months in the parish;

• that a parent has lived for at least six months in the parish at any point in your lifetime;

• that you have regularly attended Church in Wales worship in the parish for at least six months at any point during your lifetime;

• that a parent has regularly attended Church in Wales worship in the parish for at least six months at any point during your lifetime;

• that a parent or grandparent was married in the parish.

You must be aged sixteen or over in order to be married. If you are under the age of eighteen, you must have parental consent.

There are special guidelines on church marriage if you have been divorced and your former spouse is still living.

Most couples who intend to get married in the Church in Wales ‘have their banns read’ some time before the ceremony takes place. This is a simple procedure which involves the priest making a public announcement of your intention to marry during services on three successive Sundays. However, there are also certain circumstances in which some form of licence, such as a Common Licence or Special Licence, is more appropriate. Our vicar will advise you about this. More information about the various legal preliminaries to marriage is available from the Faculty Office website.