What are banns and do you need them for a church wedding?
Banns are the traditional way the Church of England and Church in Wales announce an upcoming marriage, read aloud in the couple's parish church or churches on three Sundays before the wedding, in place of civil notice at a register office. They are arranged through the vicar or minister conducting the wedding, not through your local council.
How banns work
Banns must be read in the parish church of each partner if they live in different parishes, as well as in the church where the wedding will take place, on three Sundays within the three months before the ceremony. The vicar arranges the reading and confirms with you once it is complete.
When civil notice is needed instead
If either of you is subject to immigration control, or in some other specific circumstances the church can advise on, civil notice at a register office is required instead of, or as well as, banns. It is worth raising your circumstances with the vicar early rather than assuming banns will suffice.
Timing considerations
Because banns need three Sundays of readings within three months of the wedding, they need to be arranged with a similar amount of lead time to civil notice, even though the process itself is different.
What this means for you
- Banns are arranged through the church, not the register office, so keep the two processes separate in your planning.
- Confirm with the vicar early if either of you is not a British or Irish citizen, as this can change the route.
Official sources
Last reviewed: 17 August 2026 · Next review due 17 November 2026
Not sure which rules apply to you?
Answer a few quick questions and see your route, your likely register office and your earliest date. 60 seconds, free, no account needed.
Take the free marriage check60 seconds · Free · No account needed
Related guides
Simply Married is an independent planning service, not a register office or government department. Confirm current requirements and fees with your own register office and on GOV.UK.