The Derby vicar who said marriage was made in bed

Does anyone recall how the Rev Dr Mike Parsons, left, priest-in-charge of St Augustine’s Church, Upper Dale Road, Derby, became something of a national celebrity in 1987 when he dreamed up the idea of offering unmarried couples a free wedding ceremony?

His money-saving offer was believed at the time to have been the first of its kind in Britain and national newspapers, the TV and radio networks both here and abroad thought it a story worth splashing.

What Dr Parsons did was to scrap the £58 charge for a church wedding ceremony at St Augustine’s in the hope of encouraging unmarried couples – who had lived together for at least six months or been resident in the parish or had at least one partner who worshipped at St Augustine’s – to tie the knot.

Four couples decided to take the plunge for a free wedding and two others took advantage of a free blessing by Dr Parsons after a register office ceremony.

The vicar claimed that other churchmen as well as regular members of his congregation supported the scheme.

“Marriages are not made in churches or a register office – they are made in bed,” he said. “My view is that people who are living together in a stable relationship, but haven’t had a wedding, are not living in sin.

“The church service is a public statement of that relationship, like swearing an oath in court, and it’s more meaningful than having it in a register office. I think all these couples would have got married eventually but at least we’ve saved them some money.”

Do you remember Dr Parsons? Were you one of the couples he married? Add your comments below.

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