Marriage is one of the most significant decisions we make in life, and a wedding is one of the most special occasions we celebrate. If you have become engaged and are planning a wedding then congratulations on your engagement. We wish you every joy and happiness as you prepare for and enter into marriage.
From the outset we want to say we are very pleased you are considering being married at St Matthew's. We love weddings! However, we also want to say, we do not just do a church wedding. Rather, we want to help people establish a Christian marriage.
Some people want to get married in a church because that is the romantic thing to do, or because it is their parents’ wish. That is okay, but we hope you are coming to us for more than just that. We hope you want your marriage to be in a Christian church, using a Christian service because you want your marriage to be based upon Christian values and beliefs.
We believe God instituted marriage for His purposes and for our good. It is a great gift of God to men and women and we hope that you will come to experience how good it can be. It is our desire to be as helpful as possible and to ensure your wedding day is both a meaningful and happy occasion.
So regardless of whether you are a regular church member or not, as you prepare to get married at St Matthew's, we will spend some time with you, talking about marriage, and what being a Christian means, because ultimately we want you to have the best marriage possible.
If you are considering being married at St Matthew’s there are several things
you need to do:
- Phone the church office (ph: 4577 3193) to find out if the church is available on the date you require. Book a tentative date, to be confirmed by the Minister.
- Make an appointment to meet the Minister to begin planning your wedding.At your first appointment you will be required to bring your birth certificates in order to complete the 'Notice of Intended Marriage' form and a deposit, usually $200. The Minister will talk to you about the various requirements for marriage at St Matthew's including 'Marriage Preparation' classes and 'Pre-Marriage Counselling'. Expect to meet with the Minister on several occasions to prepare your wedding.
- If you are not a member of another church, we encourage you to attend one of our congregations in the lead up to the wedding, remembering we are seeking to help you establish a Christian marriage not just hold a church wedding. We meet on Sundays at 8am, 10am and 5.00pm. You are most welcome to attend the service that suits you best.
- You will be required to attend ‘Marriage Preparation classes’ and ‘Premarriage Counselling’ which can usually be arranged at your convenience. The Minister will speak to you about this.
No doubt you have many questions regarding planning your wedding. Here are
some frequently asked questions regarding getting married at St Matthew’s
which may be of some help to you in this early stage. Otherwise feel free to
raise any questions you may have with the Minister when you meet with him.
This is negotiated with the minister but is currently $900 if an organist is required. If cost is a stumbling block please speak to us. Marriage is ministry before it is about money.
We require at least three months notice of an intended wedding. This allow us
and you time to undertake the appropriate marriage preparation courses.
Bookings are subject to the Church being available.
Weddings usually take place on a Saturday. We can have up to two weddings
on any given Saturday. On occasion a wedding can be organised for a Friday
afternoon or on another day during the week. Weddings are NOT permitted on
Sundays.
We love holding weddings at St Matthew’s, but we run a Christian Wedding
ceremony. It is important therefore that the couple being married is
sympathetic to the Christian values expressed in the wedding service and is
not using the church merely for convenience or social reasons. Couples being
married at St Matthew’s must be Australian Citizens or Permanent Residents.
In the case of divorce, remarriage is not automatically permitted in the
Anglican Church. Permission needs to be sought by the Minister from the
Regional Bishop on behalf of the couple. Please raise this with the Minister at
your first appointment, as applications are considered on a case by case basis.
We are an Anglican Church, therefore we use the "Marriage" services from "An
Australian Prayer Book" (1978) or Common Prayer (2012). Minor variations are
possible but only in consultation with the Minister.
The answer is usually yes, but applications need to be made to the Minister.
The simple answer is no. However we do permit the use of bubbles. We also do not permit scattering rose petals in or outside the church building.
A photographer is permitted to photograph the service. As a courtesy, we
request that the photographer introduce him/herself to the Minister prior to the
service beginning. Videographers are not permitted without special arrangement with the Minister.
If you have other questions which have not been answered here, then please
raise them with the Minister.
Wishing you every blessing in all your wedding plans.