Moves by the Church of England to make planning a wedding in a Church seem to be paying off, as the number of weddings that took place in Anglican churches rose in 2010 for the first time in years. The increase of 4% is hoped to be the start of growing popularity for the Church as a wedding ceremony location once again.

With more wedding venues being granted licenses to complete civil ceremonies, and attending church on a regular basis being something that isn’t as popular with people now as in the past, couples had started to move away from the traditional white wedding. Relaxed rules put into place by the Church of England, however, could be responsible for more people visiting their local church to book in their wedding service.

In October 2008, the ‘wedding measure’ change in the law meant that it is now possible for brides and grooms to marry in a greater number of churches across Britain than was previously possible.

You can marry in any Church of England church if you have lived for at least 6 months in an area, were baptised or confirmed at a given church or have attended services regularly for a 6 month period at a church. In addition, if either your grandparents or parents were married in a parish, you can also marry at that church.

Many people believe the recent popularity for church weddings among public figures and celebrities have had an impact on engaged couples wanting to plan their wedding to take place at a church. In particular, the Royal Wedding raised the profile of church ceremonies, and it’s hoped by the Church of England that this and their website offering advice about organising a church wedding, Your Church Wedding, will help the trend continue to grow.