Congratulations! If you are reading this then (presumably) you are planning your wedding. We hope and pray that your marriage will be life-giving and life-long, and we would very much like to be part of the celebrations if we possibly can.
Unfortunately we can’t say ‘Yes’ to everyone but we can conduct your wedding service for you if you or your fiancé(e) can satisfy one of the criteria below. And occasionally, even if you don’t meet any of those criteria, we may still be able to help. It’s always worth getting in touch with us.
The other reason we may not be able to say ‘Yes’ straight away is if one of you has been married before. If you are in this situation, please don’t think we are saying ‘No’, but we do need to talk with you sooner rather than later. Again, please do get in touch with us.
For such a special day, for such a special event, we may be able to offer you three churches to choose from: St Margaret’s Mapledurham, St Peter’s Caversham and St John’s Caversham. Each of the churches has their own special feel and can offer a variety of extras to give your wedding that personal touch. Whichever church you are married in you will be put in touch with one of the priests on the ministry team who will help you plan your service and guide you through the day.
For general information about weddings do have a look at the Church of England’s website yourchurchwedding.org.
Contacting us about weddings and banns
For specific information about weddings in the parish, or to have your banns read at one of our churches, please contact Caroline Smith, the Parish Administrator: admin@ctmparish.org.uk ☎ 0118 996 8836.
A listing of the fees payable is available for each church: for St Peter’s, St Margaret’s and St John’s.
The Criteria
That one of you:
- lives in the parish (see the note at the foot of this page) or
- is on the Electoral Roll of the church (not the Local Authority) or
- was baptised in the parish concerned or
- was prepared for confirmation in the parish or
- has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
- has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months
or that one of your parents, at any time after you were born:
- has lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
- has regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least 6 months
or that one of your parents or grandparents:
- was married in the parish
If you do not meet any of the criteria, you can qualify for marriage in the parish by attending a church service at least once a month for six months. Please speak to the administrator if you need to consider this option.
To check whether an address lies in this parish, enter its postcode into the search box at A Church Near You. This displays a list of churches, headed by the name of the postcode’s parish.