|
Getting Married at Michaelhouse
It is exciting to plan a marriage and we wish you all the best for the future. Michaelhouse is a wonderful venue for a wedding. We have prepared some information about getting married here and how we can help you celebrate your wedding.
What is Marriage?
There are two forms of marriage service. The Service of Marriage, which includes solemn vows, prayer for God’s blessing and the legal registration of the marriage; and the Service of Blessing after a Civil Marriage. Under the terms of the Marriage Act 1949 we are not licenced for civil wedding ceremonies or partnership ceremonies. In addition, we are only allowed by law to register the Marriages of those who live in the parish of Great St Mary’s with St Michael’s or who are members of the Michaelhouse or Great St Mary’s congregation.
The Service of Blessing after a Civil Marriage has no restrictions around it. It is used by those who may not qualify for marriage in Michaelhouse for these legal reasons, or who prefer to keep the religious and legal parts separate. Both are profound and beautiful services and enable you to enter into your marriage in the church. The Service of Blessing is in no way a ‘second best’, and a sample order can be viewed by following this link. There is, at present, no order of service provided by the Church of England to celebrate civil partnerships. However, Michaelhouse Café is available as a venue to celebrate your partnership, and the Centre Manager and Catering Manager would be very pleased to talk with you about your event.
Qualifications for Marriage
You need either to live in the geographical parish of Great St Mary’s with St Michael’s—and this applies to very few people since the parish is very small; or you should be a member of the Michaelhouse or Great St Mary’s congregation. You need to join the Church Membership Roll, called the Electoral Roll, for which you declare that you have worshipped regularly here for six months.
If you qualify to be have your Marriage registered here, your intention to get married here is announced by the Calling of Banns. We read an announcement of your marriage in church for three successive weeks, not more than three months before the wedding day. If there is any legal reason why you should not get married, people can raise their objection. Happily this is not a common occurrence! If one of you is not a British Citizen, you may not get married by Banns, but will need to apply for a Marriage Licence from the Bishop of Ely’s Registry instead. This is a straightforward procedure, and the chaplain will be happy to advise you.~
We are glad to arrange for a service for those who have been divorced. This is usually a Service of Blessing after Civil Marriage. You can discuss this in confidence with the chaplain.
In order to get married in a registry office in preparation for a Service of Blessing after a Civil Marriage at Michaelhouse, the following preliminaries apply: you can get married at any registry office of your choice in England without having to set up residence in that district. You will need to give fifteen days notice of your intention to get married. Both of you must have lived in a registration district in England for at least seven days immediately before giving notice at the registry office. Therefore if, for example, you gave notice on 1 February, your civil marriage could take place on or after 17 February.
Fixing a Date and preparation.
You need to arrange a date when the Chapel is available; please bear in mind that the cafe is open Mondays-Saturdays 8.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. The Chancel can be screened off and a separate entrance used if you would like your service to take place during these hours. On Sundays, the Church is used for other services, and the Café is closed, but on some occasions it is available for additional services.
To discuss enquiries about weddings or wedding plans, you need to meet with the Chaplain, Annabel Shilson-Thomas, first (ams94@cam.ac.uk 01223 741718); all arrangements for the actual service are then made through the Great St Mary’s Parish Office: office@gsm.cam.ac.uk 01223 741716
To book the Chancel you need to contact the Centre Manager (sue@michaelhouse.org.uk 01223 309167 ).
To discuss catering arrangements you need to contact the manager at Trinity Restaurants, Jo Saunders: manager@michaelhousecafe.co.uk 01223 309147
Costs
All costs for the service are made through Great St Mary’s Parish Office in line with standard charges for a Service of Marriage, or Service of Blessing, or for the Application for a Marriage Licence, The information pack provides costs for flowers, music, choir, and pianist.
If you have your reception at Michaelhouse, there will an additional charge for room hire, and additional charges for any catering: michaelhousecafe.co.uk
|
