I need urgent help please!

Question | 11.06.09 | Posted by olaolu1

Hello,

I hope you will be able to help me, my fiancee and I do attend C of E for over 5years now, she was married before and divorced before we started dating. We have 3 lovely kids together of which one was from previous marriage and two for me and her.

Now we really want to get married in the c of e but was told it is not possible because she was a divorcee, and apart from that, she is a british and i am currently processing my papers.

Can you please advise on what step to take as she is everything to me and i know this really bother her a lot, it does bother me too, i just want and love to live with her in happy matrimony.

Thank you very much and God Bless.
James.

Comments

by Jan Harney | 14 June, 2009 - 20:33

urgent help

Hi James
Many thanks for your message and the love and sincerity with which it was written.

Firstly - it is legally possible to marry in the Church of England after divorce, but each minister has the freedom to decide if they are happy to preside at the ceremony. So if your current Vicar is not willing to marry you then you can explore other possibilities of venue. Your partner will most probably have lived in other locations before the home you now share so it will be possible to marry in any of those places providing she lived there for 6 months or more.

You could also marry at the church where her parents or grandparents were married - so all is not lost.

I'm not sure what papers you are referring to but presumably you are in touch with your Embassy. I suggest that you take advice on your legal status before marriage.

You should be able to marry on the basis of her permanent residency but it sounds as if you may need to consider tying up some legal paperwork first. You don't state which country you are from but you'd need a letter from the embassy to demonstrate that marriage here would be recognised in your own country.

kind regards
Jan Harney (Rev'd)
http://www.asineden.co.uk