Weddings
Getting married is a huge step – even if you’ve been together for years – and many people will try and get you to spend, spend and spend. There are many different venues available, all sorts of beautiful buildings, and many lovely places where you can get married.
In our two churches we offer two exceptionally beautiful buildings. We offer you a holy place, with good music, a lovely atmosphere, and lots of photographic opportunities. With our help, you can make it – in a very special way – your service. You can involve your friends and family. Together we will choose your readings and music, and put together a service for you.
We have years of experience. Men and women have been married in St Edmund’s for a thousand years, and at St Matthew’s for a couple of hundred years. Peter the Vicar has been marrying people for 25 years – and still enjoys it. It is a huge privilege working with couples, getting to know them, finding out their hopes and their plans, and supporting them through marriage.
We have a community that will love and support you – and hold you in our prayers. They will welcome you when you come to church beforehand, be interested and excited by your plans. You are not just hiring a venue for a day. We will still be here in a few years time when you bring your children for baptism – and when, in 50 years, you want a venue to celebrate your Golden Wedding.
It is possible to get married after a divorce … (we talk about it first), it is possible to involve your children in your marriage … you don’t have to get married on a Saturday …
Lots of questions are answered at http://www.yourchurchwedding.org/ – and if you have any other questions please contact us. The cost for a church wedding in 2023 is £689.
Caroline our Administrator is your first point of contact. She can check the date you want, or help you if you need a selection of dates while trying to book a reception. We then meet you to take a formal booking (and a £50 deposit please) and check the legalities. You will meet with us a couple more times before the service, and have a rehearsal the day before the Ceremony. Then we hope you’ll come and see us afterwards – we want to see the photos!
You have a legal right to be married in your parish church if you live (or one of you has lived) in the parish, were baptised or confirmed here, or regularly worship here. Or if one of your parents live (lived) here or were married here, or your grandparents were married here. If you want to get married here, but don’t have this legal right – we still want to marry you. We ask that you make the commitment to worship with us for at least six months before your marriage – which we hope you’ll do anyway.
Michael and Kirsty were married at St Matthew’s on the last day of December 2016, and Mark and Sophie at St Edmund’s on Easter Sunday 2019.
