LoughboroughParishChurch
All Saints with Holy Trinity
A Church for the Community
Welcome to the ParishChurch Wedding Guide!
This little booklet has been prepared to help people who are considering getting married in Church. It contains all the information which you need to know about Church weddings with a special emphasis on the legal and practical side. We very much hope that it will help people to see what is involved in a Church wedding and that it will clarify some of the rather complicated legal areas.
At the heart of every wedding service stands a couple who love each other and who wish to make a loving commitment in the presence of God. Every couple should remember that weddings do not need to be big, elaborate or expensive occasions. The Church does not have a dress code for brides or grooms and there is no obligation to have a lavish reception or to make a photographic record. The love and sincerity of the couple and the support of family and friends are the crucial ingredients in a wedding service.
May we take this opportunity to wish all who read this booklet the very best for their loving relationship and their commitments of marriage.
For more information please contact the Parish Office.
The Parish Office
Fearon Hall
Rectory Road
Loughborough
LE11 1PL
Tel 01509 217029
E Mail:
Who can get married at LoughboroughParishChurch?
Anyone who lives in the parish of All Saints with Holy Trinity, Loughborough can be married at the ParishChurch provided that they and their partner are legally entitled to get married and
that they are not divorced. The parish includes the whole area to the East of the A6. If you are
in any doubt about whether or not you live in the parish you should contact the parish office.
When people enquire about getting married we always ask where they live and whether they have been married before. Please ask for the extra information sheets if you or your partner have previously been married. There is also one for people who do not live in the parish but still want to be married here.
Planning the Wedding
Booking
Before the wedding you need to book your service. The first step is to phone the parish office on 217029 any weekday morning. The office will then send you this booklet! When you have read the booklet it is time to meet with one of the clergy. They will then take all the details, check that you are eligible to married at this church and book you in at the right date and time - and take a (non-returnable) deposit of £50 from you.
Banns
Before you can be married in church your banns must be read. This means that it must be announced in your ParishChurch that you intend to get married. When this is done people have the opportunity to say that they know of a reason why you should not be married. The congregation at the wedding service also get this opportunity. When you book the wedding you will be told when your banns will be read at LoughboroughParishChurch. Banns are read on three Sundays in a row at the 10.30 service.
If you both live in the parish of All Saints with Holy Trinity then your banns will be called only at LoughboroughParishChurch. If one of you lives in another parish then you must arrange to have the banns called there as well. You will not be able to be legally married until you have given the Rector your banns certificate.
Bill
Please ask about the basic costs of getting married at our church.
The bell ringers and the choir will make every effort to help with your wedding but we have to reserve their right not to be able to attend. If they are unable to be at your wedding you will, of course, be refunded in full.
The bill should be paid in full one calendar month prior to the date of your wedding.
Please pay both the deposit and the final bill by cheque made out to ‘All Saints Fees Account.’
The Wedding Service
God is love and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them.
Wedding services are beautiful and moving occasions at which family and friends gather to surround the couple with their prayers and support. In preparing the service the priest and couple will always have these aims uppermost in their minds.
There are lots of traditions which apply to church weddings but couples should appreciate that most of these are options which they mayor may not like to have. All that is needed for a wedding service is that the legal conditions be complied with and that the vows are exchanged in the hearing of two witnesses and the priest and that at least one ring is given. When all this has happened the register is signed and a certificate is given.
In addition to this there are prayers and music, the bride often has the support of bridesmaids and is traditionally "given away". The groom usually has a best man to support him and look after the rings. He generally sits on the right hand side of the church while he waits patiently for the bride to arrive.
But many of the trappings of a church wedding are options, a matter of taste or what you feel is appropriate. Weddings in church can be very simple. Sometimes it is the really small ones which are the most moving because they are so intimate and personal.
The order of service is set by the Church of England. After the bride has arrived everyone is welcomed and the first hymn is sung. The priest then reads the introduction to the service in which the church's view of marriage is presented. The declarations are made. The couple commit to marry and the family and friends agree to support them in their new life together.
After this there is a reading from the Bible and a short address. Then the couple make their marriage vows and the rings exchanged. The couple are then declared to be married and their marriage blessed. At this point in the service the registers are signed.
There may be some music from the choir at this point or perhaps another hymn. The service then goes to the prayers for the couple and their future and the final hymn and blessing. Finally there is a happy procession of the couple and their families from the church. As they leave the building they will, if this has been requested, be greeted by the sound of the bells ringing out.
There is plenty of scope to make every wedding service really personal and appropriate to the couple. Music and hymns can be discussed with the organist and priest as well as family and friends. The priest will be very happy to discuss the reading and prayers and delighted if he can help the couple write their own prayers for the service.
Preparing for Married Life
There are two sides to this.
First, preparing for the wedding service itself.
We take this very seriously at the parish church. Like you we want it to be a day that stays in the memory for all the right reasons. For this reason we will ask you to fill in a 'details' form which tells us who everyone is and clarifies the music that you have chosen. You can do some of this on your own at home but you will probably want to talk through various things with one of the clergy before making a final decision. The best thing is to come along for a discussion before all the decisions have been made.
About 10 days before the wedding we will have a rehearsal in church. This is essentially a confidence building exercise for the couple and those taking an active part in the service. We make it 10 days before if possible so that if anything goes wrong there is time to put it right. Sometimes it is necessary to have it closer to the wedding to get everyone there. In these cases it is best to have a rehearsal of just the couple in advance of the full rehearsal.
At the rehearsal we would want to involve: the couple, the best man, any bridesmaids etc, and anyone doing any 'giving away' -normally the brides father (but note it is not necessary to be given away). Please allow 45-50 minutes for the rehearsal.
Second, preparing for married life.
While all attention is rightly on the ceremony and the big day itself we all need to recognize that this is the gateway to married life. And the whole the service lasts just over half an hour, marriage is for life.
At the moment we do not have any off the peg form of marriage preparation to offer. However we are always willing to spend time with couples working on the spirituality of marriage in ways that are suitable to them, - and every couple is different. Please be sure to raise any questions or issues about being married, staying married and so on when meeting with the clergy. It could well lead to some very helpful preparation.
We are also investigating the possibility of offering some imaginative marriage preparation with the other central churches in Loughborough. Please let us know if you are interested.
Practicalities
Photography and Videos
Just about everyone has a professional photographer at their wedding and some have a video made as well. In order to ensure that the dignity of the service is preserved in all cases we have one to two rules for photographers and video recorders.
Video recordings are made by one camera in the south transept. This is an excellent place with a good view but not seen by the congregation.
Photographers often want to be at the back of the church to photograph the entry and exit of the couple. The condition of their doing this is that they do not move during the service (which out of consideration to them we take to begin after the first hymn).
The position for still photography during the service is from the balcony at the back of the Burton Chapel. Photographers may then move to the front of the church with the Verger to take a quick photograph of the signing of the register. Alternatively they might like to spend longer photographing a 'mock up' of the signing after the service.
Wedding services are quite short and we make every effort to protect couples from hassle and intrusion while they are making their vows, praying for each other and receiving God's blessing. Congregational photography or video recording is very much discouraged.
Please give your photographer or videographer a copy of these notes. Details of video licence from
Confetti
Obviously we do not want people to throw confetti in church. But if it thrown near the doorway it blows straight in. We are most grateful if confetti is thrown away from the porch area of the church.
Collection
At the end of the wedding service the minister asks members of the congregation to make a donation to the church Heritage Fund. Money collected at weddings helps to finance the restoration and development work of the building. All Saints has been a ParishChurch for about 800 years and is sadly showing its age. It needs thousands of pounds to be spent on it over the coming years.
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