Marriage is a wonderful gift from God for a man and a woman. Not only is it good for us, it is also a wonderful picture of how God wants to relate with us. He is always committed to doing what is best for us and to loving us. God’s love is demonstrated to us in that while we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for us. This is a wonderful truth and a profound example of what it means to love. He wants us to be similarly committed to him and for our marriages to model this commitment and love.
To all who are preparing for marriage, we pray that the days and weeks spent leading up to your wedding would be relaxed and enjoyable.
What next?
Most couples are engaged somewhere between 6 – 18 months. It’s never too early to get in touch with us, however we require that your first contact is no less than 3 months prior to the wedding date you have in mind – there is some paperwork and other dates to lock in prior to making your promises.
The best way to make initial contact is to visit one of our Sunday services and speak to a Minister.
After you’ve made initial contact, one of our Ministers will book in a preliminary interview to fill in the initial paperwork, speak with you about what an Anglican Wedding will involve, and pencil in some dates. At this interview, you’ll:
- need to bring an original of both of your Birth Certificates & Driver’s Licenses.
- be given a copy of “Happily Ever… Before and After” – a booklet about getting married in Australia.
- be required to fill in some official legal documents.
- discuss mutually convenient dates for viewing the building, a rehearsal, and the wedding day itself.
- be given information about counselling services provided by Anglicare. One of our requirements before officiating your wedding is that you attend premarital counselling. This usually involves 3 – 5 sessions.
- have a brief look over the 2 possible orders of service. You’ll chat about details like music, bible readings, and what the Minister will wear on the day. We’re only able to officiate weddings according to the rites of the Anglican Church of Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Are we able to decorate the church?
Yes – but you’ll be restricted to accessing the building for the rehearsal & 1hr prior to the ceremony. It’s your responsibility to leave the building in the state you found it. We do not allow the use of glitter, confetti, rice, etc… Blowing bubbles is a common alternative. - Can we get married any day of the week?
Unfortunately, we only officiate wedding on Saturdays. Due to staffing restrictions we’re only able to officiate 1 wedding per month, with school holidays being a particularly difficult time. This is why we advise making sure you’re in contact with us as soon as possible. - How much will the wedding cost?
Presently we charge $1100 for a wedding. We require a $110 deposit in order to secure your date. This includes the preliminary interview, a brief viewing of the building (Appin or Rosemeadow), the rehearsal, the ceremony itself & use of our audio-visual equipment. The booking for the rehearsal is no more than 2hrs, and we allow 3hrs in total for the ceremony (incl. opening, the ceremony, and closing the building). We do not provide decorations or orders of service. - Can we bring our own Minister/Celebrant?
We are happy for other licensed Anglican clergy to officiate at weddings using our buildings. Unfortunately, we do not allow other celebrants to officiate. - Can we write our own vows?
Unfortunately, no. - Should we invite the Minister to our reception?
You can if you’d like – but please don’t feel that you have to! Sometimes our Ministers have other responsibilities on, and may not be able to attend anyhow. - Are you able to provide for Same-Sex Weddings? Can we just use the building?
All people are welcome in our church, regardless of their gender and sexual orientation. God loves LGBTI+ people and our churches endeavour to model and practise God’s love for all people.
The changes to the Marriage Act to allow same-sex marriages were specifically drafted to allow minsters of religion to decline solemnising a same-sex marriage where that is against the doctrines, tenets or beliefs of their Church. The doctrine of the Anglican Church of Australia, which is based on the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 19:4-6, is that marriage is only between a man and a woman.
It is for this reason that the ministers of our Church do not conduct same-sex weddings nor make our facilities available to others for that purpose.
If you have any other questions, or would like to enquire about getting married at one of our churches, please get in touch.