Marriage is a wonderful institution. Taken seriously by both people in a relationship it brings real blessing and joy. At St. Luke’s, we love to be a part of celebrating this momentous step in people’s lives and we believe that marriages can be deeply enriched by learning what its creator, God has to teach us about it.
A wedding day itself can be a wonderful occasion. At its core, however, are some amazing and very serious promises that a husband and wife make to each other (see below). These promises involve committing to be together and faithful to each other until death parts you – no matter what life may throw at you. It is a big step, but when it is taken seriously it brings wonderful blessings and a great foundation for family life.
The commitment is summed up beautifully in the promises that you make to one another in the wedding service itself:
I, N, take you, N,
to be my husband / wife,
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 us do part;
according to God’s holy law.
In the presence of God I make these vows.
Can I get married at St. Luke’s?
Firstly, you need to ‘qualify’ in one of the following ways to be allowed to be married at St. Luke’s:
- One of you lives in St. Luke’s parish. A parish is a legally defined geographical area around the church. To check whether you live in St. Luke’s parish or to find which parish you do live in then just check out this website. You can also qualify if you or any of your parents have lived in St. Luke’s parish for 6 months or more at any time.
- You have been baptised at St. Luke’s or you or any of your parents have attended the church regularly for six months or more.
- Any of your parents or your grandparents have been married at St. Luke’s.
Secondly, if one of you has been divorced and their previous husband or wife is still alive, then there is no guarantee that we will agree to a wedding at St. Luke’s. If this is the case, then we will follow the following procedure to decide whether we will marry you at St Luke’s:
- You will need to have a Decree Absolute for your previous marriage. We will not proceed unless this is already in place and will need to see a copy as evidence before any marriage can take place.
- We ask that you download and carefully complete the form below and send it to the vicar (St. Luke’s Vicarage, St. Luke’s Avenue, Ramsgate, CT11 7JX).
- The vicar will then arrange a meeting with you to discuss further the questions raised in the form before deciding whether a marriage in church is appropriate.
- If the vicar agrees that a marriage in church is appropriate after this, then a booking for the wedding can go ahead as normal and a date can be agreed.
How much does it cost?
The cost in 2022 is £579. This includes everything you need for a wedding to take place at St. Luke’s including playing recorded music. You will of course need to pay for and arrange for any extras that you want yourself. E.g. photographers, printed orders of service, flower displays etc.. This also no longer includes the marriage certificate, which now has to be purchased from the registrars.
What do I need to do?
If you are interested in a wedding at St. Luke’s, then please contact Paul, the vicar, to arrange to meet up and confirm dates (we rarely say “No” to any date requested) on 01843 592562 or vicar@stlukesramsgate.org .
For more information please see the PDF below:
St. Luke's Church Ramsgate 