THOROUGHLY MODERN MARRIAGE
New legislation means many more people will be able to marry in the church of their choice.
Instead of having to meet archaic demands that one of the parties lives in a geographical parish, the rules have been brought up to date, and taken account of what people really want. Many people want to marry in a church they once attended, or where they were confirmed, or where their parents live or were themselves married. Now that will be possible.
The Act has the effect of bringing Marriage Law in the Church in Wales into line with the Church of England. This it does by setting out a range of “qualifying connections” with a parish in which the marriage is to be solemnised (Section 2(3)). Someone with such a connection has the same right to be married in the parish church of that parish as in the parish church of the place in which he or she resides or which is his or her usual place of worship.
This means that you have a qualifying connection with a parish in which you wish to get married if
• You were baptised or confirmed in the parish
• You or a parent have lived at any time in the parish for not less than six months
• You or a parent habitually attended public worship in the parish for not less than six months
• A parent or grandparent was married in the parish
Where any of these situations apply the individual will have the right to have Banns of Marriage called in the parish church where the marriage is to be solemnised.
As with all legislation, however, there will arise issues of interpretation. What, for example, does “habitually attended public worship” mean? Is, for example, attending once or twice a month enough, and who decides? Sections 2(8) and (9) of the Act place a duty on the Minister to satisfy himself or herself that the person wishing to have the marriage solemnised has a qualifying connection. How can this be achieved in practice? Section 2(9) refers to the possible need for production of a legal document known as a statutory declaration.
Only time will tell how the new legislation will work in practice, but this much is certain and that is that the law of Marriage in the Church in Wales has been modernised, enabling more couples to be married in the church of their choice.
Anthony Jenkins Diocesan Registrar