Preferably, both parties to the marriage should be baptised. However, current Church practice allows a Christian service if only one of the couple is baptised. At All Saints', an unbaptised partner will be encouraged to ask for the Sacrament of Baptism before the wedding takes place. At least one of the couple should be baptised in the Anglican tradition.

The wedding is not simply a 'ceremony'. Nor is the church building just an attractive backdrop for a colourful social occasion. The wedding is primarily a sacrament of the Church, in which a couple receive God's grace to live together as man and wife, to the exclusion of all others, until they are parted by death. The church, as God's house, is the most appropriate place for a Christian couple to begin their married life together.

The service in which a couple is married is a public statement by the couple that they are committing themselves to the Christan understanding of marriage. It is a service of prayer and blessing and an act of worship. As such, it is a joyful occasion which should be accompanied, naturally, by music, traditional ceremonies and celebration, with family and friends to witness it.

Until recently it was almost impossible for a divorced person (with a partner still living) to be re-married in a church service. The possiblity now exists - in the case of a practicing Christian person, known to the parish priest - for a dispensation to be sought from the Archbishop or appropriate Bishop. The granting of the dispensation frees the divorced person to marry for a second time in church.

Dispensations will not be sought as a matter of course, but only after careful enquiry and provided the parish priest is satisfied that the appropriate requirements are met. These will be explained in an initial interview with the parish priest. No plans or dates for a wedding should be finalised until a dispensation, in writing, has been received by the Parish Priest from the Archbishop or appropriate Bishop.

Initial contact should be made by telephone to the Parish Priest. (At least one full month's notice of a marriage is required by law). You will need to enquire about the proposed date, and you will be asked some questions regarding age (the minimum age required by law is 18), baptism (see above), religious commitment, and marital status (single, divorced, widowed etc. See above re the remarriage of divorced persons).

You should not confirm any arrangements or bookings for the reception or honeymoon until these details are clarified and the availability of the church is determined.

At the appropriate time, an initial interview will be arranged with the Parish Priest. You will be required to bring copies of your birth certificates (or your passports) to this interview. A 'Notice of Intention' form, requiring your personal details, will be filled in by the Parish Priest, and will need to be signed and witnessed. (These are requirements of the Commonwealth Government.)

At this interview, other essential legal and church matters will be outlined, and information will be provided about form and procedure, and practical matters relating to the service, including the music, flowers, photography, the use of confetti, etc. Arrangements can be made for the couple to meet the Director of Music.

At least two further interviews will be necessary as part of the preparations for the service and for marriage. A rehearsal is normally held in the church the evening before the service.

The Parish Priest (who has been officiating at weddings for 30 years) will advise you about details of the wedding service. A traditional wedding contains the 'distilled' wisdom, customs and practices of 2000 years of Christianity. Plenty of choice and variety are possible and made available in the services of the Church. Inappropriate music, readings or secular customs are unacceptable. No alterations will be made to the text of the authorised wedding services. However, all these matters will be explained and discussed in an amicable and open manner at the appropriate time.

The expenses relating to the actual wedding service are usually the least expensive of all the costs of a wedding.

The cost of a wedding at All Saints' will depend on whether you want a fully choral service with the All Saints' Choir, and soloists to perform vocally or instumentally during the service, or a more simple service with only organ accompaniment.

The fees are set by the Parish Vestry, which is the parish body which, together with the priest, deals with the day to day financial and practical issues of parish life. They are:

Donation for use of the church building:
$500
Celebrant:
$250 *
Organist:
$200
Verger:
$75