Marriage Ceremony

Order of Service 

• Bride and Groom stand before preist 
• Preist gives a few readings 
• Preist briefly explains the purpose of marriage 
• Asks if there is any reason the couple should not marry
• The Vows
• Exchange rings
• "Those whom God has joined together, let no one divide"
• Sign the register to legalise the marriage
• Prayers, blessings, hymns and bible readings. 

Chosing to get married in a church means that God is included in your relationship

Traditional Vows;

"To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part" 

• The C of E has always valued marriage and family life. It believes marriage between a man and a woman should always be undertaken as a lifelong commitment, and that it provides the proper context for sexual relationships and the bringing up of children
• Marriage is God's gift avaliable to all 

• "The union then of male and female for the purpose of procreation is the natural good of marriage" 

• Marriage is a divine institution that cannot be broken, even divorce means you are still bound to one another by God

• Catholics are encouraged to marry other catholics in order to attain a 'perfect union of the mind and full communion of life' 

Marriage in the west rests on the natural law arguments developed from Augustine and Aquinas. 

Both theologians suggest that humans pair off for the primary purpose of procreation.

From this primary end, other secondary purposes can be deduced; 

• Marriage is for the procreation of children 
• Children need to be nurtured so marriage is about companionship and love
• As sex outside of marriage would result in children being bought up in non-stable relationships. Marriage is also about 'containment of the sex drive into a monogomous relationship'