Weddings

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ( 1 Corinthians 13 : 4 – 7 )

Firstly congratulations.

Here at Christ Church we are delighted to host weddings throughout the year. Christ Church is a beautiful place to celebrate your wedding and we would be honoured to be part of your special day.

If you would like to enquire about getting married at Christ Church, the first step is to contact the Parish Clerk, Jill Walters. She can be contacted at the Parish Office via the contact details on the Contact Us page.

Once a provisional booking is made, Jill will keep you up to date with what needs to be done next and our wedding team are always ready to answer questions and help you find out more.

We invite all couples to come to a ‘Marriage Preparation Morning‘  (usually a Saturday morning in the first quarter of the year)   or to have one-to-one preparation opportunity with the member of the Clergy presiding over their Wedding.   Each of these is an informal opportunity to meet with the clergy and begin making further plans and preparations not only for your Wedding but also for your Marriage.

As you plan your wedding it is really worth making sure that you have sorted out the Legal Preliminaries as early on as possible.  This is not as terrifying as it sounds, and our Parish Clerk will talk you through what it means step by step.

Part of the process normally includes the reading of Banns of Marriage in the parish(es) where you live.   We will arrange with you to read the Banns here at Christ Church, and if one of you lives in another parish we will explain how to organise ‘away’ Banns to be read there also.

Banns of Marriage are read on three (usually) consecutive Sundays within three months of the date of your Wedding, and are a public declaration of who wishes to marry,  and a form of checking that there are no legal reasons why they cannot do so.

The dates for reading the Banns of Marriage will be arranged with you.  You do not need to be present for the reading of Banns,  but it can be a very effective way of simply reminding yourselves what all your preparation is all about, the two of you.    After the third reading you will need to collect from that parish the Banns Certificate (and pay the appropriate fee) and deliver it to the Parish Clerk at the Parish Centre as soon as possible.

In certain circumstances you may need to be Married by Licence.  If this is the case, this is not complicated and the Parish Clerk will advise you on the steps you need to take. As with Banns of Marriage this Licence is valid for three calendar months.

Can we marry at Christ Church?

Many people are worried about whether they are allowed to marry in church.   In fact the Church of England has worked hard to make sure that most people can marry in any church with which they have a connection.

This connection may be that you live  within   the  Parish  of  Christ  Church, or that you worship  here.  It may also be that you have a Qualifying Connection  with the Parish.

Please come to talk to our Parish Clerk if you have any questions.

You may also find it helpful to visit   www.churchofengland.org   or  YourChurchWedding    for further information.

If you wish to find your local parish church, parish boundaries are listed by post code at the Anglican  Diocesan website.

Divorce, except in certain circumstances, is not a barrier to getting married at Christ Church,  and the Parish Clerk and the clergy will be happy to talk to you about this.

Please make contact with us and we can talk with you.

This is no barrier to getting married at Christ Church, and we are eager to support you in building your family life.

The Wedding Service

The run up to and planning of  your wedding is a wonderful way of preparing for your married life together. The Wedding Service is designed to be tailored to your wishes, within a simple, helpful, and legal framework.

When you first come to talk to us about your wedding you will be given an  Information pack  which will include ideas for the Wedding service.

There is also a useful website that takes you through the process step by step at www.yourchurchwedding.org Ceremony Planner. This will help you think through your ideas and see how they would work best.  The website also provides other resources that you may find useful, you can even listen to hymns and readings on line to check they are the ones you want, and print out a draft order of service with your own names in.

You may wish to produce your own Order of Service, or we can print them here (including full colour options).

Again, please discuss this with the Parish Clerk or Clergy  and don’t be afraid to ask any questions you may have.

A service sheet can be a wonderful keepsake and reminder of your day both for you and your guests in the years ahead.

It is usual and helpful to have a walk-though of the Wedding prior to the service and the day. This is with the member of Clergy who is conducting your wedding, members of our Wedding Team and certain members of your guests.

We will guide you through a very simple rehearsal  in which we check practical things such as: who will sit or stand where; where Readings will take place; and any questions or concerns you may have.

You don’t have to remember it all on the day, in fact part of the purpose of the rehearsal is to make sure that you are not anxious about the service and so give you confidence to enjoy the day.

A  rehearsal  can be the night before, or somewhere within the week before your Wedding Day. Close enough to be helpful, but not so close as to cause difficulty or stress.

The Parish Clerk or Clergy will take you through any questions you may have about music at your wedding.

Our organist will be very happy to meet with you and we have other musical resources including the Parish Choir if you wish to use them.

We also have a sound system for CDs/MP3/etc, and can provide details of other musicians, soloists and singers.

You are also of course warmly welcome to invite friends of yours with musical gifts to come and play and sing.

No additional charge is made for permission for an  official photographer to take photographs in church during the service. However, if you are arranging for a video to be made of the service then an additional fee is charged due to Copyright Laws.

It is very helpful if the photographer(s) introduces themselves to the Verger/Wedding Team and the Clergy before the service,  to check protocols and permissions.

Christ Church is a lovely space which has both grandeur and intimacy. Flowers can be a beautiful addition to the space and add your own touch to the day. Except in the weeks running up to Christmas and Easter, there are flower arrangements in the church arranged by the church flower arrangers and they are very happy to co-ordinate colours with you.   You may want additional flowers on a pedestal and perhaps special pew ends.   If you are bringing your own flowers, please speak to the Parish Clerk about times when it would be convenient for your florist to deliver them and put them in position.

For information about accessibility, please refer to our Facilities page.

The balance of fees should be paid in total at least two months before the Wedding.

We accept

  • cash
  • cheques made payable to ‘Christ Church High Harrogate PCC’
  • Bank transfers, see details on our Giving page

Please ask the Parish Clerk for full details of  Statutory  and  Local  Fees.

Any additional donations to help with the continued running of this beautiful church from either yourselves or your guest would always be very gratefully accepted.

For more information, booking and enquires, please contact the Parish Clerk who can be contacted at the Parish Office via the contact details on the Contact Us page.

Congratulations, we look forward to hearing from you.