Weddings

lizzie and Jo wedding

Congratulations! We are delighted that you are planning to get married in our church which is a beautiful listed building, perfect for a traditional church wedding. Our friendly team has years of experience in helping couples to plan their big day and can't wait to help make yours extra special. Below is some basic information of which you need to be aware at this stage.

Can I get married at Knowle Parish Church?
Christian marriage is a religious and family celebration. There are certain legal requirements that have to be met in order to get married at our church: one of you either has to live in the parish or have a 'qualifying connection'. Click here to find out what's meant by a 'qualifying connection'.
If you are a divorcee, you will need to meet with a member of our clergy team before a wedding could be booked. This can be arranged through the Parish Office.

Your wedding banns will be read at the 9.30 service on 3 Sundays during the 12 weeks before your wedding. If either of you lives outside the parish, you will also need to arrange for your banns of marriage to be read in the C of E church in the parish where you live. It is your responsibility to arrange this with your local church and to provide us with a certificate from that church showing this has been done. If either of you lives outside England, it is necessary to be married by licence, in which case there is no need for the reading of banns. It is your responsibility to obtain this licence.

Marriage Preparation
To help you prepare for marriage, couples are expected to attend a 'Marriage Preparation Course'. This is usually held in March and covers communication, expectations, intimacy and conflict as well as the wedding service itself.

How do I decide on all the details of the service?
We run a Wedding Morning in February each year at which you can talk to the people who manage various aspects of your wedding service (eg clergy, florist, organist, bell ringers) and they will help you to make decisions about the details of the service. At that morning you will also complete a banns form and book a wedding rehearsal. Rehearsals last about 30 minutes and take place during the week before your wedding.

How much will it cost?
It depends on how many ‘extras’ you want! The basic minimum covers the cost of administration, use of the building, and fees for verger, clergy and Diocese. The fees increase with each extra element booked eg organist, choir, bell ringers, etc.

How can I find out more?
If you are resident in the parish or have a qualifying connection, please call the Parish Office: 01564 779123 or e-mail: office@kpc.org to request an application form, talk about dates and find out more.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

Whether you are thinking of coming to church for the first time because you are interested in exploring faith, whether you’re new to the area and looking for a church, or whether you’re investigating baptism or marriage, you are really welcome. Our vision is to be “A house of God’s light for all peoples and generations,” and we really hope you’ll get to experience some of that light.
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You’ll find we have different styles of services that reflect our diverse congregation. Click here to find out which of our services might suit you. When you arrive you should be met by a member of our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome badge. Please do make yourself known to them so that they can let you have a Welcome Pack and, if you like, can introduce you to someone to sit next to in the service.

What is there for my children?
If you are coming along with children, you might find our 9.30 Family Service most suitable. Most weeks, the children start in the church with their accompanying adult (we really value worshipping God altogether as an inter-generational community.) After around 15 minutes, children go out to their own Sunday groups. More details of these age groups can be found on our Children and Young People page. On the first Sunday of the month, we hold either an All Age or All In service.

How do I get to know people in such a big church?
While you will get to know some people if you come to a church service, it is often at smaller gatherings which happen during the week that you will get to know people better. Click here to read about the other groups which run during the week and here for activities that go on at the church.

How can I get involved?
Click here to read about the many ways in which you can get involved in the life of the church. Getting involved is another great way of way of getting to know people. We’d love KPC to be a church where we grow spiritually by contributing.

We hope very much that you will like what you taste and soon feel at home in our church.

Best wishes,
Geoff Lanham, Vicar
Geoff Lanham BCU 2022 IMG 4089

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

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Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.