Marriage

 

So, you are thinking about getting married… congratulations!

We are delighted that you are choosing to be married, and that you are looking to find out more about what it means to be married in a church. We hope the information you find here will be useful as you continue to grow in love and commitment to one another.

We believe marriage should be a thing of beauty, blessed by God and fulfilling to both you and your partner. It is important not to rush into marriage and to think carefully about the promises that you will make to each other.

Remember that the wedding day, no matter how big and exciting, is not nearly as important as what follows - your married life together. In the Church we believe marriage to be a binding commitment for the rest of your life and we encourage everyone to set out on their marriage plans with this firmly in mind.

Who can be married in Lyle Kirk?

The short and answer is anyone, but there is a longer answer than that! Anyone who lives within the bounds of our parish may be married in our churches, by our minister. If you are resident beyond our parish boundary but have a connection with the church, the minister may also agree to conduct your wedding. Every square inch of Scotland is served by a parish church, and it may be appropriate for you to ask the minister of your own parish first. Even people from outwith Scotland could have their wedding service within our church. If you are unsure or would like to check about whether you could be married in our church, please contact our minister, Jonathan.

 

What about the legal side of marriage?

 

In Scotland, all couples must lodge wedding notices with a local registrar. The law has recently changed and couples must now give a minimum of 29 days notice. We recommend that couples should not leave this to the last minutes and should visit the registrar around 3 months before the wedding is due to take place. You should direct any legal queries to the Registrar’s Office of Inverclyde Council.

 

You can contact our local registration office by calling 01475 714250 or e-mailing registrars@inverclyde.gov.uk
 
If your wedding is to take place outwith the Inverclyde area, then you need to contact the registrar most local to the hotel or venue in which you will be married. Details of registrars can be found by checking this list.

 

What's the difference between a religious and a civil ceremony?

We believe that being married by a Christian minister, in a Church that you are making promises not only to each other and your witnesses (as you would in a registry office) but also before God. The minister also asks God to bless the wedding couple during the service and prays that God will be with them throughout their married life.

Can the minister marry us somewhere other than the church?

We believe that the natural place for you to have a religious wedding ceremony is in our church. The Church of Scotland allows ministers to marry outwith the church building but it is up to each individual minister to decide whether this is appropriate or not. Our minister would be happy to discuss all possibilities with a couple looking to be married.

 

How much does it cost to be married in Lyle Kirk?

Normally a couple would pay for the service of the church officer, the organist and the use of the church (to cover heating and lighting). These charges do change from time to time. For the current charges, please download our wedding booklet. Please note that the charges you pay for your wedding are the charges in place on the day of your wedding, not the day you booked your wedding.

 

If you have any further enquiries, then please contact our minister, Jonathan in the first instance.