Reading of Banns

Banns are an announcement in church of your intention to marry and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place. Banns need to be read in the parish where each of you lives as well as at Pip n Jim's if you wish to be married at our church. If you both live in the parish, then the Banns only need to be read at at Pip n Jim's. You must have your banns read out in church for three Sundays during the three months before the wedding. This is normally done over three consecutive Sundays. The form you need is here, the fee in 2020 is £45 including a certificate. You need to return the form to the church where you need the banns read out - if that is us then to: The Church Administrator, St Philip and St James church, King George Road, Chatham, ME5 0TZ (cheques payable to St Philip and St James church)

If there is not enough notice given for the Banns to be read before the marriage is due to take place, or in the case of the marriage of people whose nationality is not British, or if one or both of you do not live in England, you must apply for a Licence rather than have Banns read. This is especially recommended if there is any doubt as to the legal requirements of the home country of a non-British person for recognition of an English Church marriage.

You must be 18 years old or more

The law changed in 2023, you cannot now get married if you are 16 or 17 years old..

Time of wedding

To be legal the wedding must take place between 8am and 6pm on any day.

Guidelines for divorcees

There are special guidelines on marriage in the church if you are divorced. There may well be a way forward, but you will need to talk our Vicar or the Curate about your situation to explore the possibilities for you. We've put more information on marriage after divorce in our Frequently Asked Questions.

Licenses

There are some circumstances in which you may need a Special Licence, Common Licence or a Superintendent Registrar’s Certificate to marry in church. We've put more information on licences in our information on who qualifies to marry at Pip n Jim's.

Marrying outside your parish

It is now much easier to marry in a church that has a special connection for you, even if Pip n Jim's is not your own local parish church. There's a special page of information available on this website.