Do I have to live in the Parish if I want to get married in a certain Church

[Unregistered]

My Fiance and I desperately want to get married in a Church but the one in our area is very shabby and unkept. We have seens loads of nice churches but Ive been told that I have to live in the Churches Parish that I want to marry in, is this correct?

[Kate]

Yes I'm afraid it is still so unless you regularly attend another church and are on the electoral roll for that church. Some clergy will allow you to attend for six months and go on the roll.

You can also apply for a special licence which requires 15 days residence in the parish but is issued at the discretion of the local bishop. You can read more in the FAQ (http://www.2-in-2-1.co.uk/weddings/wheremarry/churchwed/) article on this site.

Some of the non-Anglican churches can also marry you, so if there is a Methodist or URC church in the area that looks more attractive you might approach the minister there.

In the end, it comes down to what is most important to you. 20 years ago few people had video's of their wedding and it was usually possible to find somewhere in a church for photos that didn't look to bad. You can top up with photos at a nice reception. If you're concerned about the internal appearance of the church during the ceremony, do you have a creative friend who could work hard on the flowers for the church.

I honestly can't remember much about the church from our wedding day - my eyes were on my husband and what was happening in the ceremony and having all our friends and family around.

Hope this gives some ideas on how you can work around the obstacles to have a special day.

[Unregistered]

I've found that, that isn't always the case! I live in Leeds and am getting married in warwickshire. The only thing I will say is the fact that my parents do live in the parish. I think it depends on the vicar, mine is just putting down in the register that I still live at home.