WEDDINGS AND BLESSINGS


St. Giles the Abbot is a very attractive venue for weddings and Blessings, with the approach through the Lych Gate, along a winding path and into the delightful, heavy beamed church on the Hill overlooking the magnificent Kent Countryside. It also has many favourable areas for the photographs.

For more details and information please contact either:

See the Welcome page for a downloadable application form and details of fees


Getting Married at St. Giles the Abbot, Farnborough



Engaged!  Congratulations and a warm welcome to this part of our web ste, and thank you for looking us up.  We would be delighted to explore with you the possibility of holding your wedding at St. Giles and we are very committed to helping you have a wonderful day, and also a happy and fulfilling married life together. 

If you live in our parish you have a right by law to get married in St. Giles, unless you have been previously married.  If you do not live in the parish, then you can qualify to get married by the following criteria: 

 
Couples may marry in a Parish Church:

  • If one of them was baptised or confirmed there.
  • If one of them has ever lived in the parish for six months or more.
  • If one of them has at any time regularly attended public worship there for six months.
  • There is the right to marry in a parish in which one of the parents has lived for six months or more in the couple’s lifetime.
  • There is also the right to marry in a parish church where the parents have regularly attended worship in the couple’s lifetime.
  • Couples may also marry in a parish church where their parents or grandparents were married.
If none of these criteria applies to you, then you can qualify to marry in St. Giles by making it your habitual place of worship.  In other words, you would be expected to attend church at least twice a month for a period of six months.  Following that you could apply to join the electoral roll, which would then make you eligible to marry at St. Giles, since it would now be considered your place of worship. 


 

To become a member of the church you do have to be baptised.  If you are not baptised, we would be delighted to explore this with you.

Marriage Preparation Classes

Not only are we committed to ensuring that you have a very special and memorable wedding day, we are also keen to help you prepare for married life. To this end we run an eight-week wedding preparation course dealing with the following:

  • Commitment through the stages and changes of life
  • Communication
  • Conflict in marriage and its resolution
  • The impact of children and families
  • The christian understanding of marriage and love
  • A full rehearsal and study of the Wedding Service, including the vows, promises, tradition and symbols.

Our Marriage Preparation Classes not only allow you time to think and reflect but enable you to meet with other couples and get to know some of the clergy and key people involved in your wedding day. The classes are held in the church which creates a lovely atmosphere too.

Wedding Blessings at St. Giles following a Civil Ceremony

In today’s world, many couples decide to get married in warm and exotic locations abroad. These weddings can always be very memorable, exciting and different.  However, due to logistics, it is not always easy to include a wider circle of family and friends.  Over the years, we have catered for a number of couples who have “tied the knot” abroad, but have wanted a traditional church service which will allow them to invite a fuller guest list while at the same time gaining God’s blessing on their relationship.  If you are getting married abroad, or at another location such as a country club, golf course or manor house, for example, then why not come to St. Giles to have your marriage blessed by God?  Wedding blessings do not require any residency qualifications.  In other words, technically, people living anywhere in the world could have their wedding blessed in our church with all the accompanying memories and beautiful photographs.

Renewal of Marriage Vows and Significant Anniversaries

For many people, reaching a significant anniversary in the life of their marriage is a real achievement and warrants a special celebration. At St. Giles we are very committed to supporting and upholding the gift of married life.  If you are approaching a significant anniversary, or if your marriage has been through a rocky patch and you would like a fresh start, then a Renewal Service can be just the right thing.  In this case you would be invited to stand in front of the altar and repeat the promises that you once made.  Children and grandchildren can act as bridesmaids and pageboys; the same hymns can be sung and special music can be played either on the organ or CD player.  If this is followed by a family get-together the whole day can be a wonderful and memorable occasion which not only brings everybody together, but strengthens and renews the bonds of love and marriage.


Marriage after Divorce

Any divorce is invariably a very sad and painful experience involving disappointment, loss and other strong feelings.  Finding a new relationship and learning how to love and trust again can be enormously healing and fulfilling.  It can seem natural and right to want to come to Church to seek God's blessing for a new start and a new beginning.  If this is true for you then you will find a warm and sympathetic welcome at St. Giles.  The sacrament of marriage is obviously a very special gift and all we ask from all of our couples is that it is approached with integrity, honesty and a willingness to receive what the Church has to offer you in such an important time in your lives. 

What next?

For all wedding enquiries please contact the Parish Office.  You can complete the Banns Application form on line but this needs to be signed and checked in person at Vestry Hour which is held on the 2nd Sunday of the month from 4.30 pm. We will send you our Weddings Brochure which contains all of the information you will require to organise and plan the church part of your wedding day.


 Church attendance is not compulsory unless you are getting married by joining the church's electoral roll. However many couples tell us that attending the Church prior to their wedding made the day more memorable and special. For times of services please refer to the 'Worship' page of this website.


Dont Panic!

We are here to help you as you plan for this day. Our Parish Secretary is very experienced in helping couples with their arrangements, as are the clergy.

We congratulate Darren and Kath Rufford, and Jonathan Kearley and Gemma Burley on their recent marriages at St. Giles, and we wish to thank them for giving their kind permission to publish their photographs on our website.

 

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