Milestone Weddings - The UK Wedding Co-ordinators

The Milestone guide to Anglican weddings in England and Wales

The Established Church (i.e. the Church of England/Wales) holds its own authority to conduct weddings separate to that of civil registration. Vicars and other authorised clergy have the same legal standing as civil Registrars.

Legalities

You must both be over sixteen - but if one of you is under eighteen (and have not been married before!) you need written permission from the relevant parent or guardian.
Both parties must be free to marry, and not too closely related.
You must both be capable of understanding the nature of the ceremony, and be acting of your own free will.

Type of Ceremony

Religious - Performed by an Anglican Minister.
Can take place in any church or chapel of the Church of England or Church of Wales, or an Armed Forces Chapel, without the need to involve a civil Registrar. Ceremonies can usually only take place between 6am and 6pm.

Formalities for Church of England/Wales Ceremonies

Generally, one of you will need to be living in the parish where you wish to be wed. If you both live in this parish, your Vicar will normally publish Banns (a public announcement of your intention to marry, and a plea for anyone to object if the marriage would be unlawful) on three separate Sundays before the ceremony.
If you live in separate parishes, banns have to be read in both. A certificate (valid for three months) is issued to the party living outside of the parish where you will wed.
Alternatively, either Vicar can arrange for a Common Licence to be issued.
The Vicar carries out the ceremony and registers the marriage, without the need to involve a civil Registrar.
Although marriages in the Church of England/Wales are exempted from the new government regulations on non-Europeans marrying in the UK, in practise Vicars may well satisfy themselves as to your immigration status before agreeing to marry you.