St James Church is a pretty ornate building set in a quiet street in Strawberry Hill. It seats about 125 in the body of the building. There is additional seating in St Joseph’s Chapel which offers a view into the body of the church. Many couples find St James’s ideal for their wedding. The Alexander Pope Pub and Hotel provides nearby accomodation for guests seeking overnight accomodation. Travel Lodge by Twickenham Station also offers accomodation.
To be married at St James’s it is necessary for one party to be a resident of the parish or to have a family connection with the marriage e.g. through a parent living in the parish, having gone to school in the parish, or having been brought in the parish
We seek six months notification for a marriage. Please do not book a venue for your reception before you have booked a wedding date with us. You are expected to receive a minimum of four sessions of preparation. Preparation is undertaken within the parish or it may be be undertaken through one of the several programmes available e g Marriage Care. If you have been married before you need to check whether your previous marriage was valid in the eyes of the Catholic Church. If it was you may need to apply for an Annulment or for Decree of Nullity. An Annulment is not guaranteed and may take up to 18 months to be granted. Enquiries into an annulment are undertaken by the Marriage Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Westminster.
We will help you draw up an Order of Service and with all paper work. You are expected to make an appropriate donation to the church for our time, and for the use of the church building. A suggested sum is £250 but this may vary according to your means. A fee of £47.50 is payable to the church registrar who prepares the papers and who is present on the day. There is a charge of £10 for an additional certificate.
Confetti is permitted in the forecourt of the church but not inside the building. You are expected to have any rubbish cleared away at the end of the ceremony.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
A certificate for each partner from the Borough in which they live. No marriage can take place without these certificates
For a Catholic a baptism certificate dated within 6 months of the wedding is required
For a non-Catholic who is baptised a certificate of any date is required
Statutory Declarations of Freedom signed and stamped by a solicitor’s office, and dated within 6 months of the wedding day. The parish will provide the forms.
If one party is a non-Catholic an appropriate permission is applied for by the parish to the Diocesan offices. The Catholic party must sign the application agreeing to bring children up as Catholics ‘within the unity of the partnership.’
If you are marrying outside the parish of your residence the preparation is normally undertaken by your parish.