The Church of England has established new directives this week which will provide couples with a wider range of options regarding where they marry.

Couples in search of the picture perfect wedding will be permitted to marry in just about any church that they choose providing that they are able to prove a link, however small to the parish that they choose. The association can be through a parent, a grandparent or any other relative.

Exquisite and charming churches which have featured in films, or are established as venues for celebrity nuptials, are thought to be in line to receive a massive rush of marriage applications.

As the new policy is introduced, clergy are being offered support and advice on becoming a more attraction option to couples planning their wedding in order to even the score against the rapidly increasing numbers of civil wedding services.

Approximately 200 Church of England clergy have attended workshops which have offered recommendations for more responsive and sociable ceremony such as the repetition of certain elements of the wedding service to afford guests further photographic opportunities, reducing the price tag for a church service and encouraging members of the wedding party to applaud and cheer on the couple.

The past 15 years have seen a steady decline in the number of couples choosing to marry in a church.

At present, vicars are only approved to perform marriages when one of the couple wishing to be married dwell in the parish, with the exception of those who have submitted an application for a special licence, which is often a very lengthy and highly expensive process.

Church leaders trust that the loosening up of the procedure surrounding church weddings allow them to compete with castles, hotels and stately homes, in the market for wedding ceremonies.