Rome is a beautiful, romantic city, redolent of Christian tradition, so it is no surprise that in recent years more and more foreigners have come to Rome to be married. All Saints' is a particularly lovely, very English-looking church, and people often enquire about getting married here. In a time when many people choose to be married in secular settings, we are very pleased that you are considering making your commitment to each other part of our own pilgrimage towards God as a worshipping community and pastoral family. Please keep the following points in mind as you make this important decision.

Like other Christian churches, the Church of England believes that the best place for people to marry is in their own parish, where at least one member of the couple resides and regularly attends services. Canon law states this principle clearly, and any couple marrying in the Church of England in the UK would be held to it. However, the chaplain will perform the marriage blessing in church, if you are willing to comply with certain strictures. Residents of Rome or central Italy are within the jurisdiction of All Saints' pastoral care, and can therefore consider All Saints' as their own parish.

If you wish to have your marriage blessed in Rome, you should understand that you will in any case have to be prepared for Christian marriage by your own minister or pastor, who will then have to contact Father Jonathan directly. Residents of Rome will have to make arrangements for marriage preparation with our chaplain. Generally speaking at least one member of the couple should belong to the Anglican tradition, since there are several other English language Christian churches in Rome.

Since the Church of England has no civil jurisdiction to marry people in Italy, a couple wishing to have their marriage blessed at All Saints' Church must arrange to be married in a civil wedding service before the date of the blessing. For foreign residents, it is easiest to do this in the country where you are living and speak the language, though it is also possible to do it in Italy. A brief description of how to go about arranging a civil marriage in Italy follows our price list, though you should always check with your consular office for any recent changes to the procedure.

Fixed Charges:
Use of the church: 300 €
Chaplain's fee: 150 €

Optional Charges:
organist's fee 180 €
other music: as arranged
flowers in the church: 300 € for basic arrangements
bride's bouquet: depending on arrangements
boutonnières: depending on arrangements

The civil marriage service in Italy

The bureaucratic niceties of getting married in Italy can be daunting, and for that reason some people who want to have the civil ceremony in Italy avail themselves of a wedding agent, though this is an expensive option.

The city council (Comune of Rome) website (www.comune.roma.it) sets out the legal requirements for the civil marriage, including the necessary documentation and the cost (in 2002 the service was free for residents, and 154,94 € on weekdays and 258,23 € on weekends for non-residents).

If you are British, you must contact the British embassy in Rome (www.britain.it) which must issue a "certificato di nulla osta" (a certificate of no-impediment to marriage) for both the bride and the groom. The procedure is simple, requiring that you firstly swear an affidavit (legal document) stating that there are no known obstacles to the marriage (59 €), in order for the bans of marriage to be posted for three weeks at the embassy. At the end of this period you must present your birth certificate and you will then be issued the "certificato di nulla osta". Other embassies have different requirements and you should contact them direct.

You must then contact the general registry office in Rome (the "anagrafe" in Via Petroselli) where you must obtain the relevant wedding paperwork. You swear the "giuramento" (an oath that allows the bans to be posted in Piazza del Campidoglio) and also stamp the "certificati di nulla osta" with two "bolli". These "bolli" cost 5,50 € each and once stamped, the bans are posted and you can make an appointment for the civil wedding.