Unitarians regard marriage as one of the most significant commitments a human being will experience in his or her lifetime. It is indeed a momentous occasion and should rightfully be accompanied by both ritual observance and festive celebration. While Unitarians do not agree that marriage is a “sacrament” requiring ecclesiastical sanction, we expect that couples married in our tradition will take their commitment just as seriously.

We believe a wedding should reflect the unique personalities and spiritualities of a specific couple, as well as accurately represent the faith tradition that provides the context for the occasion.

A wedding ought to accomplish more than merely fulfilling the letter of the law. Equally important is that couples recognize the spiritual dimension of their marriage and that they cherish the memory of the wedding day for the rest of their lives.

Couples come to a Unitarian Church to be married for many reasons:

We are more open and flexible about the design of the ceremony
We are happy, and able, to perform both same and different sex marriages
We are happy to perform ceremonies for couples from different faith traditions
Membership of our church is not required in order to be married by one of our Celebrants

We do not stigmatize couples who have been cohabiting prior to marriage, or because one or both parties have been married previously

Why do we operate this way? Because ours is a liberal, non-creedal church that places a high value on individual freedom and dignity. Therefore we do not think there is any single “right” way to plan a wedding. We are concerned about facilitating your “special day”, the growth of your relationship and helping to lay the groundwork for you future life together.

Costs

The fee for a wedding (whether same or different sex, we offer both) is £565.

If no organist is required then this fee can be reduced by £50.

In cases of financial hardship the chapel has the discretion to be able to reduce the fee. Please ask if this applies to you.

The fee for a Relationship Blessing and/or a Civil Partnership ceremony is available on request.