If you want to be married at Horfield Parish Church but neither of you lives in the parish, there are four possible options:

(1)  If one or both of you have a strong personal or family link with the church, you may be able to get an Archbishop’s Licence (“special licence”).   To apply for this, contact 

              The Faculty Office, 1, The Sanctuary, Westminster, LONDON W1P 3JT.

              Tel. 020 7222 5381 x 282, 10am - 4pm Monday – Friday.

It is considerably more expensive to obtain a special licence than to be married after banns.

NB A special licence will not be given if one of you is divorced with the previous partner still living, or if neither of you has been baptised.

(2)  If one of you has parents or other relations who do live in the parish, you may give their address on the marriage application form, so long as you undertake to live there for the 15 days (ie 3 Sundays plus the intervening weeks) while the banns are being read.  This will then be your official address and will appear on your marriage certificate.

(3)  You are entitled to be married here if one of you is on the Church Electoral Roll.  To qualify for this, you must attend worship here regularly for at least six months before the banns are called (“regularly” means every Sunday when this is possible – at least twice a month).  You can then fill in the attached form and be put on the electoral roll.

You are not advised to do this unless you would really like to come to church!  Most people who join us for worship in this way have enjoyed being here, and many have gone on to make a fuller Christian commitment.

BUT if you have not worshipped here regularly, you cannot be put on the roll, and you will not be able to be married here!

(4)  Or you can be married in the church of the parish where you do live!