SECOND MARRIAGES

Church of England/Church in Wales

Within the Church of England and the Church in Wales, second marriages have been forbidden in the past, but nowadays the Church is a lot more open – in some parishes at least. Widowers should meet no reluctance from the Church, although divorcees may need to speak to a number of different ministers before finding a willing volunteer.

Roman Catholic Church 

If your previous marriage has ended through the death of a partner, the priest should agree to remarry you. However, the Catholic Church will not recognise the state’s decree absolute certificate if your previous partner is still alive and if the Wedding service was performed by a priest. Thus, in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church, you will be unable to remarry. The only way to overcome this is to seek a dispensation of annulment by petitioning the Church to declare your previous marriage null and void. If your previous marriage was via a Civil Ceremony, things become a lot easier. Civil marriages are not recognised by the Roman Catholic Church and therefore the priest should agree to remarry you (religious ceremonies conducted outside of the Roman Catholic Church may also be dealt with the same way).

Others

Non Conformist Church and Church of Scotland re-marriages are generally uncomplicated affairs and whilst you will need to speak to the minister concerned, there should be little objection to the ceremony taking place. For Quaker second marriages, the case for the re-marriage must be put before, and approved by, the monthly meeting in order to obtain permission.

Other religions vary in their attitudes to ‘second timers’, so before discounting this option completely, it is wise to speak to the officiant early on to clarify their standing on this matter - they will be more than happy to discuss any queries or concerns with you.