‘Like a poll tax’: Church of England should stop charging couples for weddings, say vicars

Traditional, but pricey: church weddings are under threat. Photograph: Rawpixel/Getty Images/iStockphoto

High fees are putting church weddings beyond the reach of many couples and should be scrapped or set at a nominal amount, according to clergy in one of the most deprived areas of England.

Marriage fees, which can be as high as £641, are a contributory factor to the decline in church weddings, they claim. A proposal to be debated this week at the Church of England’s ruling body, the General Synod, calls for fees to be abolished or reduced to a minimal amount “in order to demonstrate the church’s commitment to marriage and pastoral care”.