Booking church- help please vicar has double booked us!

I don't know anything about church weddings but didn't want to R&R.

? This is terrible! I can't believe they have double booked you and then wouldn't let you have the church over someone who booked it after you.

First of all, I would get info sent out to your guests asap. You don't need a ceremony time on them, but give them the hotel details - have you not got a guaranteed number of rooms at the venue ?

Secondly, have you asked about moving your wedding earlier rather than later ?

As for the special licence, I can't help on that one as although we married outside of the parish we attended the church for a year to enable us to be added to the electoral roll.

Can I ask which MK church you're having the problems with?

I go to one of the Watling Vale churches, and they are very relaxed. It might well be worth contacting them to see of someone there can help

Google Watling Vale Ecumenical Partnership, and if it looks your kind of thing give Rev. Mike Morris a ring

Good luck, Rebecca

I had to get a special licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury, as the church I got married in isn't a parish church (it's a private chapel). This is what you will have to get, even though your reason is somewhat different. It cost 135 pounds when we got it two years ago. You need to contact the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury (they have a website). The licence isn't granted automatically, but I imagine having the bishop on side will be a big help. It can take quite a while to come through (several weeks at least). Really, you should get right on it as it isn't guaranteed. The vicar of your new church will have to agree and write a letter for you.

The process isn't difficult if everything is straightforward, which in practice means that at least one of you needs to be baptised and neither of you divorced with a living former spouse. You also have to swear an oath in front of your vicar that there's no reason why you shouldn't marry etc. - a matter of five minutes.

It is extra bureaucracy and expense, but there is the consolation that you physically get the licence to keep, and it's rather special (big calligraphed certificate with a seal etc.)

HTH

Same for me. Because we're both in Thailnd up to a month before the wedding, we've had to apply for a special license. I applied last August and it cost 135 pounds, which nearly went through me!! I then had to sign an afidavit which I've sent back and should be getting the license through soon (fingers crossed). It's a faff, but it's possible.

Good luck

Hi,

I think it might depend on what denomination your church is. I am getting married by special licence (CofE) in a church to which we have no connection. We also live too far away to attend regularly. We had to live in the parish for eight days (we stayed in a self catering cottage, but a b&b or hotel etc will do as well). When we had been there eight days we had to go to see the superintendant registrar to give notice of marriage, with a letter saying we had been resident from the owner of the property, and also the form from the vicar saying she was happy for us to marry there. The appointment was 1 hour, and it cost us £30 each. The address we stayed in went on the forms which were then displayed at the court. 15 days later the registrar issued a certificate to say we could marry at that church within 12 months of the date of our residency.

To be honest, it all seemed very easy, although this particular church is in a miniscule parish and does a lot of weddings, so I guess they are used to it. My brother nad his fiancee are getting married in the church we went to as children/adolescents, and is in the parish we grew up in and my parents still live in. The Rural Dean has agreed to their marriage in that church, but they also have to satisfy the residency requirements the same as us (but obviously it will be much cheaper for them because they can stay with our parents!). I have to say though, the vicar in the church they originally wanted to marry in (where my Mum now officiates as well) said they had to be regular attendees whcih isn't possible as they also live too far away. I think the Rural Dean can over-rule this though.

Sorry, that was a bit longer than I intended, but I hope it may be of help to you. Outrageous that you were double booked and bumped off for someone who booked after you. I'd go ballistic about that... Good luck,

nf x

Edited to add I have just looked it up on t'interweb and special licence is different to superintendant registrars certificate, which is what we have. Would you be able to go down that avenue? Then you could stay in the parish (assuming the relevant vicar agrees to you haveing your ceremony there under those circumstances), although if you had to pay to stay there (eg hotel) it would probably cost more than the fee the others have quoted.