If you would like to have an Anglican wedding we would be delighted to help advise you and prepare for your special day. We offer marriage services in English and Finnish – or a mix of both.
The Marriage Service
The service follows the format of a Church of England marriage. We can discuss particular readings you would like to have in the service and our Choir Director can also help you to decide on the music and whether you would like to have a choir or soloist. If you would like us to produce the Service Sheet you can arrange this with the Office Manager.
The Church of England has lots of useful information and resources on their website, including:
Requirements
- The Chaplain has a licence to do full marriage service in Finland as long as the couple has completed the process of Examination of impediments to marriage – Digital and population data services agency (dvv.fi) and has a valid marriage license.
- Banns of Marriage must be read in the main service of the Anglican Church on three Sundays before the wedding day. This means that the couple (both of them) need to meet with the Chaplain at least four weeks before the planned wedding day. Banns are an announcement in church of your intention to marry and a chance for anyone to put forward a reason why the marriage may not lawfully take place. As well as being a legal requirement, your banns readings are special public occasions when people in church hear of your intention to marry. You are welcome to invite your family and friends to hear your banns being read out at Church.
- The marriage must take place between 8am and 6pm in a public venue
- An official certificate of non-impediment must be presented to the Chaplain before a Marriage service
- An official Marriage certificate must be presented to the Chaplain before a service of Thanksgiving after a Civil marriage.
- The current teaching of the Church of England is that Marriage is a life-long union of one man with one woman. Please speak with the Chaplain if you wish to discuss more / have any questions.
Booking the Church
Please get in touch with your Lutheran Parish office. All bookings are handled by the Parish office and the Anglican Chaplain cannot make bookings directly. For example in Helsinki the Parish details are as follows:
Helsinki Cathedral Parish
e-mail: tilavaraukset.tuomiokirkkosrk@evl.fi
phone: 09 2340 6111
Street address: Bulevardi 16 B, 1. Krs
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with Office or the Chaplain if you have any questions
Fees
The Church does not impose any mandatory fee for pastoral services. However, we suggest that a donation could be made, in line with Church of England’s Parochial Fees, to support the continuing mission of the Church: Layout 1 (churchofengland.org)
Organist/pianist 100 euros
Choir Member 70 euros per member
Order of Service editing & printing cost – 30 euros (max 100 copies)
Wedding Enquiry Form