Church of England allows 'hatch and match' weddings

I do with babies in tow

The two-in-one ceremony will encourage more people to marry as it is cost-effective at £272 for the service, the Church said on Wednesday.

The Church described the new ceremonies as “family-friendly weddings for couples with children”.

“Engaged couples are welcome for the wedding of their dreams, whether or not they have children,” it added. In the services, couples will move straight from exchanging vows and rings to presenting their babies for christening.

What rubbish!

The move has some critics. “It is a pity they have not put in a funeral for grandma as well. What are they playing at? It seems trendy, and it reveals a complete lack of awareness of the reality of what goes on in parishes. I do not understand why they want to do it,” Bishop of Fulham, Rev John Broadhurst said, adding, the service trivialised the Church’s role.

But supporters like Reverend Paul Dawson, spokesman for the Reform conservative evangelical movement, said: “There is a theological problem here. Where people have fallen short we would look for repentance. We don’t want to alter the teaching that marriage is a gift from God and sex is for marriage.

“But there are many people who are unmarried and have children and we don’t want them to think there is no point in turning up at church.”

Research commissioned by the archbishops of Canterbury and York had found that many couples marrying in church already had children. The latest figures show that about 44 per cent of children are born to unmarried women in UK.

PTI