Lisbellaw with Coolbuck

Weddings

A wedding ceremony, wherever it takes place, marks the start of a marriage. A man and a woman come together to publicly declare their love for each other before their guests, but more importantly before God. The bride and groom make a covenant with each other and with God, in other words, they make a solemn promise to love and honour the other person, forsaking all others. This is a lifelong commitment, in sickness and in health, in poverty and plenty. This promise is made with every fibre of their heart, mind and spirit and involves God as witness and partner to the promise. This covenant between the two joined in Holy Matrimony reflects the relationship between Christ and his people.

If you have decided you would like to be married in Lisbellaw Parish Church (or Coolbuck Church), the first thing to do is to contact the Rector, who will be pleased to advise you further. For a wedding in a Church of Ireland building, one of the parties must be a member of the Church of Ireland or of a church in full communion with it (e.g. Church of England). The Rector is not available to conduct weddings that are not in church buildings.

Appropriate advice in preparing for marriage can be found on the website of the Church of Ireland Marriage Council. You can also download sample orders of service there - The Marriage Service(2) is the most common form of service used in Lisbellaw.

A template Word document for an order of service used in Lisbellaw Parish can be downloaded here.