Wedding Enquiry

Marriage in the Church of Ceylon is solemnised by an ordained priest in a religious service in which, before God and in the presence of the priest and at least two competent witnesses, the couple covenant together to take each other as husband and wife for as long as they both shall live. The priest then declares them to be husband and wife.

Before solemnising a marriage, the priest must be satisfied that all legal requirements are being met and that the couple know of no impediment to their marriage. Following the service, the newly married couple present themselves to the Registrar, who is the Vicar of the parish, in the vestry, where the marriage certificate is completed and presented to them.

Couples should contact the Registrar of Marriages well in advance of the wedding in order to complete the Notification of Intended Marriage, commonly known as the Pink Form. We recommend that this is done at least six months beforehand. Both parties must be at least 18 years of age on the date of marriage.

There are several circumstances in which the Church may only be able to offer a Blessing of a Marriage rather than a Full Marriage Service. This may be the case when a couple has already been married before the Registrar outside the Church, when one party belongs to another faith, or when one party is divorced.

In such cases, the couple are already recognised as husband and wife in the eyes of the law, and the service must not be confused with the Full Marriage Service. Episcopal permission must be obtained before a Blessing of a Marriage can be arranged, so please do not fix a date or print any documents until that permission has been granted. Your Vicar will guide you in seeking this approval.

Orders of Service and invitations must state: “The Blessing of the Marriage of...” and should not say “The Service of Marriage of...”

Banns of Marriage must be read in your Parish Church on three consecutive Sundays before the date of the marriage, giving notice of the intended marriage and inviting any objections to be brought forward. A certificate of banns will be issued once this has been completed.

Please note that banns are not read when the wedding is between an Anglican and a Non-Anglican. In such cases, a special licence must be obtained from the Regional Archdeacon or the Area Dean, and this process usually takes three to five days to complete.

Banns are also not read in the event that the service is a Blessing of Marriage.

The Notification of Intended Marriage, together with the Pink Form and the yellow receipt from the Registrar of Marriages, must be handed over to the Vicar of St. Michael’s or the Parish Secretary in the Parish Office before the banns are read in church. Further details regarding the Pink Form can be found in section 1.

Those wishing to be married at St. Michael’s are required to complete a Marriage Preparation Course coordinated by Ms. Sudeni Perera of the Board of Christian Education.

At the end of the course, you will be presented with a certificate. This certificate, together with a copy, must be submitted to the Parish Secretary as part of your preparation for the wedding.

Ordained ministers or priests from other denominations within the National Christian Council are welcome to take part in the marriage service at St. Michael’s according to the rites of the Anglican Church.

However, the Sacrament of Holy Communion may only be celebrated by an Anglican priest.

If the marriage involves the remarriage of a divorced person, the divorce certificate must be produced to the Vicar of St. Michael’s during the initial discussion.

Please note that the Vicar is not permitted to conduct the wedding without this document. You should also refer to the section on the Blessing of a Marriage regarding special permission where applicable.

To be married at St. Michael’s, at least one partner must be an Anglican. The faith of the other partner will be fully respected, but it should be understood that the ceremony celebrated within the Church is a Christian wedding.

Following this, the couple may, if they wish, seek the blessing of the other partner’s faith tradition.

At St. Michael’s, we have a long tradition of welcoming couples from different branches of the Christian Church, each of which may have its own rules and regulations. We seek to honour and respect these while also exercising the pastoral freedom entrusted to us.

If a couple has no connection with St. Michael’s, they must provide a letter, or letters, from the priest of the church, or churches, they attend, explaining why they wish to be married at St. Michael’s and by whom. If a couple has been refused by another priest, the reasons for that refusal must be clearly stated in writing.

It should also be understood that the Vicar of St. Michael’s may contact the other member of the clergy before agreeing to the wedding.

Please provide the following documents to the Parish Secretary when making your booking:

a) Letter or letters of introduction from your parish church or churches if you are not a member of St. Michael’s
b) Baptismal certificate or certificates
c) Your marriage certificate and a photocopy of it if the service is a Blessing of Marriage

Music is part of the liturgy and plays an important role in all forms of worship at St. Michael’s, including weddings. The compositions that are sung, the people who sing them, and the points at which they are sung should all be in keeping with the liturgy being celebrated and with the general principles of worship in the Church.

No pop songs are to be played at any point before, during, or after the service. A list of suitable hymns and organ music can be provided by the Director of Music, who will be pleased to help you choose music for your wedding.

St. Michael’s is fortunate to possess a fine four-manual digital organ, and many couples choose to have the organ as the principal music for the service. The Parish Office can provide contact details for one of the parish organists to play at your wedding.

Please note that the organist’s fee should be discussed separately with the organist. Our parish organists are:
a) Mr. Denham Pereira
b) Ms. Bishara Samaraweera
c) Mr. Mark Weerathunga

If you wish to arrange for another organist to play, please discuss this with the Vicar, who may request additional references.

All weddings must begin on time, and the ceremony should last no longer than one hour and fifteen minutes.

If a reception is to follow, it must have concluded, with guests departed and clean up completed, no later than 9.00 pm.

We are happy for wedding receptions to be hosted within the church premises, but please note that they may only take place in the Parish Hall.

The car park may not be used in any way for the reception.

Access to the church for decoration may be possible on the day of the wedding by arrangement with the Secretary to the Parish. All decorators are expected to conduct themselves with the reverence appropriate to a place of worship.

Any decoration or furniture already placed in the church must not be removed without prior permission. No artificial flowers are permitted within the sanctuary, and no decorations may be placed on the altar table. We would also be grateful if flowers placed on the altar table are not removed after the service.

The use of thumb tacks, nails, sticky tape, or anything else likely to damage church furniture is not permitted. If damage is caused, the couple will be asked to bear the cost of repair.

Photographers and videographers are welcome. Please ensure that they arrive early and are introduced to the Vicar.

They will be briefed on where to stand in order to minimise intrusion and to respect the worshipful nature of the service. Photographers will not be permitted if prior approval has not been obtained.

If you are working with a wedding planner, please arrange for them to meet with the Vicar well in advance of the wedding to discuss their intentions for the ceremony.

Wedding planners are not permitted to move church furniture, introduce new items of furniture into the church, or interfere in any way during the service. They must also avoid being intrusive so that the worshipful nature of the ceremony is respected at all times.

Bridal cars may draw up directly in front of the West Door. Parking within the church premises is limited to only three cars on any day of the week.

It is therefore strongly recommended that guests are advised of alternative parking arrangements.

The consumption of liquor and smoking within the church or anywhere on the church grounds is strictly prohibited.

If amplified music is used on church grounds, it must be kept at a low level, audible only to those directly involved in the service or reception.

If you are using the church for the service or the Parish Hall for the reception, all trash must be collected and removed from St. Michael’s by the wedding party. There is no dumpster on the premises.

Clean up must be completed immediately following the ceremony or reception. Please also note that nothing may be stored in or around St. Michael’s premises.

The wedding party may cancel this booking at any time by giving written notice to St. Michael’s.

If the cancellation is received less than 30 days before the wedding, the church will refund only 50% of the monies paid.

The Church of St. Michael and All Angels
138, St. Michael’s Road, Polwatte, Colombo 3
Telephone: 112 343 471

The Vicar: The Venerable Christopher Balraj
Telephone: 112 323 660 / 112 343 471
Email: vicar@stmichaelspolwatte.lk

Parish Secretary: Malathi Fernando
Telephone: 112 343 471
Email: secretary@stmichaelspolwatte.lk

The Director of Music: Denham Pereira
Telephone: 112 343 471
Mobile: 0773 497 989
Email: secretary@stmichaelspolwatte.lk

Marriage Preparation Coordinator: Sureni Perera
Mobile: 0775 707 894
Email: boce@dioceseofcolombo.lk