How do we get married by banns?

Calling banns means that your names, your status (whether you are a single person, divorced or widowed) and the parish in which you reside are read out during the main service in the church on a Sunday.

Banns are published on three Sundays preceding the marriage, although not necessarily three successive Sundays, at a morning service or an evening service if there is no morning service.

Once you have decided which parish and which building you can marry in and you have spoken to the minister, you can ask the minister to publish your banns of marriage. He or she will provide you with a form to complete with your details or will arrange to meet you to obtain the information. If you have a qualifying connection with the parish, you complete a different form. It can be downloaded by clicking here. If you are using this form you must also supply the evidence which supports your qualifying connection. When the minister is satisfied that you have provided all the information needed, he or she will arrange for the banns to be called in the parish in which the marriage is to take place. The banns have to be called:

• in the parish in which you reside and
• in the parish in which your intended resides and,
• if you are planning to marry in the parish in which one or other of you is on the church electoral roll or has a qualifying connection, the banns also have to be called in that parish.

This means that the banns have to be called in one parish if you are marrying in the parish in which both of you reside, in two parishes if you are marrying in the parish in which one of you resides and three parishes if you are marrying in the parish in which one of you is on the electoral roll or has a qualifying connection.

It is your responsibility to arrange that the banns are called in these other parishes. If you fail to do so, the marriage cannot take place.

After the banns have been called in other parishes the minister makes an entry in the church's banns book and issues a banns certificate. You must ensure that the certificate is sent to the minister who is conducting the marriage.

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