Marriages in ECCT

1. Episcopal Priests and Bishops, including those from outside the state in good standing in their dioceses, are automatically licensed to perform marriages in the State of Connecticut.
2. Any member of the clergy who intends to perform a marriage in a parish in which they are not settled must secure in writing the permission of the clergy or ecclesiastical authority of that parish beforehand
3. If you are officiating in a diocese other than Connecticut, please call the Office of the Bishop in that diocese in advance to discuss any requirements specific to that diocese or state which may be in place. In the case of a second marriage, the judgement must be affirmed by the Bishop of the diocese where the wedding will take place.
4. In Connecticut the marriage license must be obtained in the same town or city in which the ceremony is to take place and the record of said ceremony, signed by the officiating clergy person, must be returned by the clergy person to the office from which it was issued.
5. Deacons are not permitted to officiate at weddings in ECCT.
6. A canonical requirement is that a Priest or Bishop must have received thirty days’ notice from a couple intending to marry; and if for any reason the cleric waives this requirement, the Bishop will be notified in writing immediately.
7. The Declaration of Intention must be signed by both parties to be married, and the clergy person shall furnish them with a copy of that document.
8. Any Priest or Bishop may decline to officiate at a marriage or to offer a blessing.
9. Intentional premarital Christian counseling, whether by the officiating clergy person or another person designated by them, is a canonical requirement.
10. As noted in The Episcopal Church’s Constitution & Canons (1.18.3), “Prior to the solemnization, the Member of the Clergy shall determine:
    a. that both parties have the right to marry according to the laws of the State and consent to do so freely, without fraud, coercion, mistake as to the identity of either, or mental reservation; and
    b. that at least one of the parties is baptized; and
    c. that both parties have been instructed by the Member of the Clergy, or a person known by the Member of the Clergy to be competent and responsible, in the nature, purpose, and meaning, as well as the rights, duties and responsibilities of marriage.”
11. Any member of the clergy seeking to officiate at a marriage outside the Diocese should refer to “ECCT Clergy Performing Marriages Outside of Connecticut.”
12. Any member of the clergy from outside the diocese seeking to officiate at a marriage in the Diocese of Connecticut should refer to “Clergy from Outside Connecticut Performing Marriages in Connecticut.”

Additional information regarding marriage and blessings in The Episcopal Church is available in the Constitution & Canons of The Episcopal Church, I.18.

1. All the regulations noted in “All Marriages” also apply in instances of remarriage.
2. Application for permission to marry must be made by the officiating clergy person to the Bishop of the diocese, or to another Bishop if the Diocesan so directs, in printed form. Application packets are available from the Bishop’s office and on our website.
3. A letter from the clergy person who intends to officiate must accompany the application and must address the concerns outlined on the “Summary of Contents” contained therein. If another clergy person is preparing the couple, it is appropriate for that person to address those concerns. At all times it is inappropriate to ask the persons intending to marry to write to the Bishop.
4. The officiating clergy person must satisfy themself that the former marriage(s) have been dissolved legally, most often by seeing the certificate(s) of divorce. Do not send these, or copies of them, with the application.
5. Christian marriage is lived within a community of faith. The Episcopal Church should not be a “place of convenience” for a couple to avoid the marriage standards, requirements, or prohibitions of their own denomination.
6. If either party seeking marriage has been married more than twice, additional counseling from a professional marriage counselor/therapist is required and proof of which must be submitted with the application in printed form.
7. All applications for remarriage must be submitted in printed form to the Bishop at least sixty days prior to the planned wedding date.
8. The Bishop reviewing the application may contact the Priest for additional information or with questions. Bishop’s consent will be given in writing.
9. Canon law also requires the clergy person to advise the Bishop as soon as the permitted marriage has been performed. A return form will be provided with the Bishop’s letter.

For additional details, see The Constitution & Canons of The Episcopal Church, I.19.