The Riverside Parishes
HURWORTH
LOW DINSDALE
GIRSBY
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN THE DIOCESE OF DURHAM
Weddings
If you're thinking of getting married in church you will doubtless have many questions. Below are some of the more common:
Can we get married at Hurworth, Low Dinsdale or Girsby?
We will do everything we can to make it possible. There are certain legal preliminaries to satisfy if you are to be married here, but we’ll be glad to talk those through with you. If you live in one of the parishes, or if you are a regular worshipper and member of the community, or if you have some connection with the church the answer is likely to be ‘yes’.
You can marry in church if one of you:
Has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or was baptised in the parish concerned or was prepared for confirmation in the parish or has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish 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 even if you cannot demonstrate any of the above connections, we want to help you explore whether it may still be possible for you to marry here.Talk to us well in advance to discuss the options open to you.
CONTACT US
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The first thing to do is to contact Revd. Adrian Thorp who will be happy to talk things through with you. You will be required to fill out a form which gives us much of the information we will need to have on file. This form is available in paper or electronic form and can be obtained via Adrian.
Next steps...
There are lots of things to think about. Some of them (many of them, actually!) have to do with planning the wedding day itself – and the good news is that we have great resources and lots of experience to share with you to help in planning the perfect wedding service for you. But the other thing to be thinking about is the much broader (and ultimately more important questions) of what it means to enter into a lifelong married relationship with one person. So we will also try to support you in thinking about that – and will have some suggestions about things you can do locally to help you to think through this side of things too.
Music
Music forms an important part of almost all weddings and we will ask you to make an appointment with our Director of Music, Paul Austin, to talk though possibilities.
Photography & Videos
You will want to have a great set of photos of your wedding day, and we look forward to working with your chosen photographer to ensure that you get precisely that! If you choose to video your wedding you should be aware that the music costs will double (due to Musicians Union rules about what singers and players get paid when they are recorded). This extends to the taking of amateur videos during wedding services – which it is your responsibility to ensure that your guests understand in any information you send out in advance of the day.
Marriage and the law
Because marriage is both a spiritual union and a legal contract, the answer to the question also involves English law. The Vicar of the parish will explain to you whether you will be married ‘after banns’, ‘by Bishop’s licence’ or ‘by Superintendent Registrar’s Certificate’ – and we can support you in making sure that, once we agree you can be married here, you fulfil the legal requirements. In 2015 the law was changed to create a different route to gaining permission to be married for couples where one (or both) are non-UK or non-EU passport holders; this new process can, in certain circumstances, take much longer than before – and so advanced planning is required.
Flowers
We will be able to work with a florist of your choice in the run up to the wedding to ensure that the church looks beautiful. Please contact Enid Thompson for more information.
Confetti
Feel free to throw confetti - our only request is that it is thrown outside and beyond the lytch gate by the side of the road.
Rehearsal
On the day's leading up to your ceremony, we ask the key participants to come to the church for a brief rehearsal. Rehearsal times can be arranged to suit you and you will be contacted by the clergy member who will be leading the service.
