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31/07/2009

Wedding Information - 2

[Wedding Introduction]  [Booking a Wedding]  [First information page]

3.             Planning the Service

Introduction

The Marriage Service that we use is the Common Worship Marriage Service.  Within this framework we would encourage you to consider ways in which to make the service more personal to you.  We will discuss the order of service and any proposals you may have at the preparation evening.

For example, you may wish to include additional material, such as readings, music, a soloist, or specially prepared texts, appropriate to yourselves and to the wedding. 

We are happy to include people in our prayers if they are ill or for other reasons, and to remember close family members who have died.

If you wish, you may have Holy Communion as part of your marriage.

We welcome the participation of other members of the family or friends in the service.  They may do a reading for example, and we are willing to consider whatever other suggestions you may have.  This should be agreed with the minister well before the wedding day.

Children

If you have children of your own, and if they are old enough, we would encourage you to include them in the Service.  They may wish to read something, or to say a prayer, or to participate in some other way.

When small children are bridesmaids or page boys, we suggest that arrangements be made for them to sit with a relative during the Service - it can be a long time to expect small children to stand still.

For young children in the congregation, we have some bags of toys at the back of the church which they are welcome to borrow.

Orders of Service                                            [Top]

If you plan to print an Order of Service we suggest that you follow this outline:

If you are including any other material in your Service such as a special reading, and especially if the congregation are asked to make a response at any point, then these can be added to your Order of Service.

We have a range of Orders of Service from previous weddings and these can be consulted on request.

Please note: It is a essential to check everything carefully with your printer. 

For example, if you are printing a reading from the Bible, it is important to check which version is to be used. 

Similarly, you may not want all the verses of a particular hymn. 

In particular, in All Things Bright and Beautiful we discourage the use of the verse beginning “The tall trees in the greenwood ...” and certainly not the verse beginning “The rich man in his castle, the poor man at his gate ...”

Please be especially careful if you download hymns from The Cyber Hymnal (www.cyberhymnal.org) or other website.  They often include all the verses of old hymns, many of which are no longer sung.

Hymn books may be borrowed from the church - please bring them back!  A list of the most popular hymns and music for the entry of the bride and departure of the couple is set out below.

You may wish to consult the organist before finalising the printed Order of Service.  This can be done in person or by email.

Bells [Bell Ringers' page]

All Hallows has a team of bell ringers who will be very happy to ring for your wedding.   We will always endeavour to provide a team of bell ringers if you request one but we cannot guarantee to do so.  In particular it is more difficult to find ringers for weddings that are not on Saturdays.

The ringers will ring from about 20 minutes before the Service until the Bride comes  into the Church, and again as Bride and Groom leave the Church.

The fee for the bells is £120.

The bell ringers will provide you with a certificate which records the names of the ringers for your wedding.

Music

Our organist and Director of Music Mr Collin Nicholson (01777 871193), is responsible for all aspects of the music at a wedding.

The organist will usually play before the start of the service, for the entry of the bride, on the departure of the couple, and during the signing of the registers, as well as for the hymns.

“Traditional” music is:

For the entry of the bride: The Bridal March, Wagner

For the departure: The Wedding March, Mendelssohn

Other pieces sometimes played include The Trumpet Voluntary, Clarke; The Trumpet Tune, Purcell; and the Entry of the Queen of Sheba, Handel.

The organist will help you select the appropriate music and hymns, and discuss with you any other musical contributions to your wedding, including if you wish, visiting singers. 

We are very happy to consider different music that is suitable for the organ.  However, we may ask you to provide copies of the music for any special pieces.

¨                  Please note:  

The organist’s approval must be obtained before arranging any special musical contribution. 

 The organist’s fee is still payable even if you ask another organist to play.  Prior approval must be obtained from the church organist for any visiting organist.

Choir [Choir page]                                                [Top]

A choir can make a considerable difference to the quality of the singing during the Service.

At some times of the year, particularly in August, we cannot always guarantee that the choir will be available.  Having said that, we will make every effort to provide a choir if we can.

The fee for the choir is £60.

Hymns

It is customary to have three hymns.

Popular hymns include:

All things bright and beautiful

Dear Lord and Father of mankind

Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us

Love divine, all loves excelling

Make me a channel of your peace

Morning has broken

Now thank we all our God

O Jesus I have promised

Praise my soul the King of heaven

The King of love my shepherd is

The Lord’s my shepherd

You are welcome to borrow a hymn book to read through these hymns or, of course, to choose different ones.

If you wish to have a hymn that is not in our hymn book, please discuss it in good time with the organist.  In some cases there are copyright issues that need to be sorted out before we can use a particular hymn.

Seating Capacity                                            [Top]

All Hallows Church seats around 100 people.

Flowers

During Lent and Advent (February 25th to April12th and November 29th to December 24th 2009)  we do not normally have flowers in Church for our Sunday Services.  You are very welcome to have flowers for your wedding during these seasons, but they will have to be removed after the service. 

There are six pews on either side of the aisle in all Hallows Church which, with the front panel, makes seven pew ends each side. 

If there is more than one wedding on the same day it will be good to have a clear agreement including the time the flowers are to go into the church, appropriate colours, which flowers will be left in the Church after the wedding, and who will move any flowers that are to be taken out. 

For access to view the Church, and to put flowers in, please ring Carole Robinson 01777 704201.

Please Note:

There is always a possibility that the church will be needed for another service on a Thursday or Friday.  Accordingly, please telephone in the early part of the week of the wedding to check when access is possible.

Photographs    [Conditions of wedding Photography]

Your official stills photographer may take photographs at the following points during the service:

• One during a hymn, from the back, and without using the flash.

• At the end of signing the registers.

• As you process out at the end of the wedding.

Members of the congregation are invited to take photographs as you process out at the end of the Service, but not during it.

Photographs before and after the wedding are entirely at your discretion.   However, if the bride is late then time for photographs may be considerably shortened.  It is usually possible to come back into the church at the end of the Service for photographs, so long as this does not conflict with another wedding.  This may help especially if it is raining.

You are welcome to have photographs taken around the church.  However, please be sensitive to the needs of any wedding following yours and try not to get in their way.

Please note:  Only the official photographers may take photographs or videos during the Service.  Guests are welcome to take photographs as husband and wife process out at the end of the Service.

Video           [Conditions of wedding Photography]            [Top]

There is an additional fee for the video recording of a wedding

Video recording is only permissible on certain conditions:

• The camera operator must have a valid copyright licence

• The camera operator must comply with any instructions given by the minister.  These will include using a tripod, no extra lighting, and not moving around the church during the Service, except as agreed.

• Copies of the tape must only be produced within the conditions of the video licence.  These must be for private use only and not sold (except to the people commissioning the recording).

• No recording (or extract from it) shall be exhibited in public.

(These last two rules are set down by the Central Board of Finance of the Church of England which owns the copyright of the Service.)

The video licence covers the recording of music for the whole of the wedding, including the reception.

If your camera operator has not recorded a Service at this church before they should, if possible, come to the rehearsal.

Please note:

Please give your video camera operator the copy of the rules enclosed with this pack.

If these conditions are not observed by the camera operator we reserve the right to stop the recording at any point, and, if thought necessary, to ask the camera operator to leave.

Ushers

You may wish to ask people to serve as ushers.  Their main job is to welcome guests and guide them to their places; to give out the service cards or hymn books; and to collect them up at the end of the Service. 

By convention the groom’s guests sit on the right, and the bride’s on the left, as you face the altar.  Apart from immediate family, however, this convention is seldom strictly observed.

Confetti

Confetti may not be thrown inside the Church and preferably not in the churchyard.  It should be thrown only at the gate as you leave.

4) On the day

Don’t panic!

By this time everything has been sorted out and it’s too late to change it.  So just enjoy the day.

Get there on time: 

Groom: 20 minutes before the set time

Bride: 5 minutes before the set time

Signing the Registers

You will need two witnesses who have to be over 18.

• If you are late we reserve the right to postpone the wedding to a time convenient to us.

• If you (or one of you) are drunk or otherwise incapacitated we are not allowed to marry you.

• If the photographer (video or stills) does not abide by the instructions of the minister they will be asked to stop recording.

But of course, these things never happen.  All will go smoothly, the sun will shine, everyone will enjoy themselves, and it will be a glorious day.

[Wedding Introduction]  [Booking a Wedding]  [First information page]

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