Wedding planner
So you want to get married.
All Saints’ has a vestry hour once a week (Wednesday, 6.45 to 7.45 pm) where marriages can be booked in. You would normally attend six to 18 months before the wedding.
During vestry hour, we help you with the preparations and talk through:
Couple's Reception (during January or February, for all couples getting married later in the year)
Reading of the banns (three months before the wedding)
Meeting the minister for wedding preparation (two to three months)
Rehearsal in church (four to ten days)
Below is a summary of the wedding preparations that we discuss at the vestry hour meeting; we also give you a leaflet with full details.
Contact the Church Office for more information
0161 427 2378.
How much does it cost?
As of January 2008, fees are as follows:
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Basic fee
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£309 |
Organist
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£70 |
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Heating
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£100 |
Bells
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£80 |
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The fees for organist and bell ringers only apply if you want their services.
The fee for heating only applies between 1 October and 31 March, or if you want to have heating at another time of year.
Fees are subject to review.
Flowers
An arrangement of flowers on the ledge behind the Communion Table is prepared every Friday for normal church services. You may want to provide extra flowers in the church, such as on stands or pedestal arrangements.
Hymns
The marriage service is an act of worship, and in particular a time to thank God for bringing you together as a couple, and to ask him to bless your marriage in the future.
Usually two or three hymns (or songs) are sung in the service.
At vestry hour, we help you choose hymns that say the things you want, and are well known enough so that people will join in. There are plenty of choices. See Wedding hymns for suggestions.
Instrumental music
Usually, there are three times in the service when instrumental music is required:
When the bride makes her entrance into church
During the signing of the register
When the couple leave the church
There is a wide range of music available for you to use during the service. At vestry hour we give you a sheet containing a number of suggestions (see Wedding music) and discuss the decisions that you need to make, for example how long they need to be and whether the organist can play them!
Marple Band played at the weddings of Matthew Murphy and Louise Carter and Helen Beetham and Robert Barton and we thought you might like to listen to their music, see Marple Band, Matthew & Lousie and Marple Band, Helen & Robert.
Reading
The wedding service normally has a Bible reading, which is chosen from a wide range of topics such as love, commitment and the best foundations for living. Some deal more specifically with the love of God and the example Jesus gave us. The wedding preparation sheet gives a number of readings that are suitable for a wedding (see Wedding readings).
Your minister will help you decide on a reading that fits in with the message or sermon.
Banns
If a wedding takes place in a Church of England church, banns must be published three times before the wedding.
For example:
“I publish the banns of marriage between John Smith, bachelor of the parish of St Martin’s, Low Marple, and on the electoral role of this parish, and Jane Brown, spinster of this parish. This is for the first time of asking. If any of you know any reason in law why these persons may not marry each other you are to declare it.”
To date no one has.
Normally one or other of the couple must live in the parish or be on the church’s electoral role.
Order of service
You may like to have an order of service printed, in which case please check the draft order with the Vicar before going to print. Click here for an example of an order of service.
See also
