If a wedding takes place in a Church of England church, banns must be published three times before the wedding. This just means that the marriage is announced on 3 consecutive Sundays in the run up to the wedding.

If one of you lives in another parish then the banns must be read out at the church there as well & you must collect a Banns Certificate from them before your wedding day.

When your banns are published this is what will be said:

“I publish the banns of marriage between John Smith, bachelor of the parish of St Martin’s, Low Marple, and on the electoral role of this parish, and Jane Brown, spinster of this parish. This is for the first time of asking. If any of you know any reason in law why these persons may not marry each other you are to declare it.”

To date no one has!