Oh, this is a fun one. Yes, female vicars can marry too. In fact, many do. Imagine a vicar who is also a mum, juggling a sermon with a packed lunch. That’s a common scene in thousands of parishes across the UK and beyond. The church even allows vicars to marry other vicars—which leads to what I call the “double-rainbow vicar marriage,” where you get two parish barbecues, two sets of flowers at Christmas, and twice the amount of chocolate biscuits.
There’s a lovely story about a vicar named Sarah who married a school teacher. “People always ask if he has to wear a dog collar to breakfast,” she laughs. “No, he just has to put up with my sermons around the dinner table.” It’s this human, messy, delightful reality that makes the answer so comforting. Vicars are not super-heroes without feelings; they are ordinary people who love God and other people.
What About the Roman Catholics? (The Elephant in the Room)
Let’s be kind and clear here. In the Roman Catholic Church, priests (the Catholic version of a vicar) still cannot marry. This is a rule rooted in tradition, not in the Bible itself. It’s a sacrifice they make, and it’s part of their identity. But here’s a little-known fact: there are married priests in some Catholic rites, like Eastern Catholic churches. And occasionally, a married Anglican vicar who converts to Catholicism might be allowed to remain married as a Catholic priest. So the rule is more like a pothole than a brick wall—you can steer around it in some cases.
An open letter to vicars and priests from the wedding photographer
Why should you, a busy person with a mortgage and a Netflix queue, care about any of this? Because it affects your local community. When a vicar is married, you get a family that lives openly, with the same struggles you have: school fees, taxi runs, and that awkward moment when the kids refuse to eat broccoli. A married vicar isn’t just a symbol; they are a neighbour. They understand that Monday mornings are hard, that relationships need work, and that a good laugh with friends is holy.
