Anyone living in Bowthorpe or with a strong connection to Bowthorpe is welcome to get married in Bowthorpe Church. As an ecumenical partnership we are able to offer weddings that reflect the various denominations that make up Bowthorpe Church, that is both Church of England Weddings and non-conformist weddings (Methodist, URC and Baptist). Our modern building is ideal for the wedding service itself and has wonderful acoustics; the original church ruins offer a romantic setting for photographs.
Calling of Banns of Marriage.
For wedding carried out under the Church of England rules Banns of Marriage must be read out in both the grooms and the brides parish church(es) on three consecutive Sundays three months prior to the wedding day. This is a legal requirement but many couples chose make an occasion out of it and attend church with family and friends to hear their banns of marriage being read out.
If there is not enough time for the Banns to read out then the Common Licence procedure will apply. The fee for the reading of the Banns of Marriage is currently £48 but is subject to change from time to time.
Arranging your wedding
To talk to someone about arranging your wedding please
To arrange your wedding, please contact the Minister on 01603 747871 or contact Bowthorpe Church Office (details on ‘Get In Touch’ pages).
In order to be married in Bowthorpe Church, you will need to get a marriage license from the Norwich Registrar’s Office. Both parties must go to the office to register for the wedding. It is best to make an appointment. The phone number for the Norwich Office is 01603 767600. You must bring the licences to the Church Office as soon as you can; we will hold them for your wedding day. If you do you not have this licence, you will not be able to marry on the appointed day. The Registrar’s fee for each licence is currently £35 per person. (For some non-EEA national subject to immigration control the fee is £47 per person.)
The fees for a wedding at our church currently total up to £680 (subject to change) in addition to the registrar’s licence fee. These include payment for legal fees, church fees and a musician. Any change in fee will be discussed with you at your meeting with the minister. An additional fee of £50 is required to cover copyright should you wish to video your wedding and £30 if you wish to use the P.A. System. If you wish us to print your Order of Service, it will cost £60 for up to 100 service booklets/sheets printed on card (an additional £10 is charged for every 20 copies exceeding this number).
A deposit of £100 is required as soon as your wedding has been agreed with the minister. The balance of the fees can be brought to the Church Office at least one month prior to the wedding.
Planning your wedding
Once all the formalities and legal niceties are out of the way then it is time to sit down with our minister to plan the service itself.
All that is left by now is to plan a wedding rehearsal so that everyone know what is going to happen on the big day.
No doubt you will have found numerous sources of advice about your wedding here a few things that have been found to be useful other couples about to get married.