Wedding Booklet
| St.
Werburgh's Church Website Home History Gallery Baptism Weddings Children and Youth Work Who's Who How to Find Us |
YOUR
WEDDING AT
THE
OF
ST
WERBURGH
SPONDON
Introduction
We
are delighted that you have chosen to have your wedding at St
Werburgh’s
Church, Spondon. This booklet is to help
you with planning your big day and ensuring that everything goes as
smoothly as
you would wish. We will include details on a variety of issues, some
which you
will have considered, and which may be a surprise.
We hope that you will find it helpful.
Our
present church building dates back to 1365 and is a Grade I listed
building. We have worked hard to make
the church as “user-friendly” as possible with wheelchair
access and a loop
system for the hard of hearing.
Legalities
Your
wedding is a sacramental and legal ceremony which binds you together as
husband
and wife as such there are a few rules which need to be considered.
·
If
either of
you live in the parish, your banns will be read during the Parish Mass
on
Sunday at
·
If
either of
you live outside the parish, you will also need to have your banns read
in the
church of the parish in which you reside and then provide us with a
banns
certificate. This is a legal requirement
and you cannot be married without an appropriate banns certificate.
The
Order of Service
This
is the booklet that
you give to your family and friends to help them follow the service. An example of the Order of Service is below.
The
Marriage
of
(Groom’s
name)____________________
and
(Bride’s
name)__________________
at
The
St
Werburgh,
Spondon
on
(Date
and
time)_________________________
Inside
Page:
Processional
Music The
Bridal March from
Lohengrin
Richard
Wagner
Welcome
The Reverend XXXX
Hymn
1
(The words for
the hymn should be written here)
The
Marriage
(to include the
congregation declaration)
Address
The Reverend XXXX
Hymn
2
(The words for
the hymn should be written here)
Intercessions
Words for The Lord’s Prayer
should be printed)
The
Blessing
Signing
of the Register
Recessional
music The
Wedding March Felix Mendelssohn
Hymns
You
will need to choose at least two hymns, but provision can be made for
three.
Please see the suggested list of hymns at the back of this booklet. If you are using an Order of Service, the
words to the hymns should be printed out in full. Hymn books are
available if
required.
As
you have chosen to be married in church, a passage from the Bible will
be
read. Please see the suggested list
of
readings at the back of this booklet. If
you wish you may also have a secular reading or poem. This needs to be
approved
by the presiding priest.
Music
During
the signing of the register, the organist will play some appropriate
music
(which you may choose), or you may request the choir to sing an anthem.
A
suitable CD of your choice may be played.
Proofs
Please supply a draft
copy of the Order of Service to the presiding priest before they are
printed in
order to ensure all is in order.
(No
pun intended).
The
Marriage
During the main part of
the Marriage Service you will declare yourselves willing to marry, make
your
marriage vows and exchange rings. You
do not need to remember any of the words, but here is the main part of
the
service for you to read before the actual day.
The
Declarations
The minister
says to the congregation
First, I
am required to
ask anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not
lawfully marry,
to declare it now.
The minister
says to the couple
The vows
you are about
to take are to be made in the presence of God,
who is judge of all and
knows all the secrets of our hearts;
therefore if either of
you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it
now.
The minister
says to the bridegroom
N, will you
take N
to be your wife?
Will you love her,
comfort her, honour and protect her,
and, forsaking all
others,
be faithful to her as
long as you both shall live?
He answers
I will.
The minister
says to the bride
N, will you
take N
to be your husband?
Will you love him,
comfort him, honour and protect him,
and, forsaking all others,
be faithful to him as
long as you both shall live?
She answers
I will.
The minister
says to the congregation
Will
you, the families
and friends of N and N,
support and uphold them
in their marriagenow and in the years to
come?
All We will.
The Vows
The minister
introduces the vows
N and N, I
now invite you to join hands and make your vows,
in the presence of God
and his people.
The bride and
bridegroom face each other.
The bridegroom takes the bride’s right hand in his, and says
I, N, take you, N,
to be my wife,
to have and to hold
from this day forward;
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in
health,
to love and to cherish,
till death us do part;
according to God’s holy
law.
In the presence of God I
make this vow.
They loose
hands.
The bride takes the bridegroom’s
right hand in hers, and says
I,
N, take you, N,
to
be my husband,
to
have and to hold
from
this day forward;
for better, for worse,
for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in
health,
to love and to cherish,
till death us do part;
according to God’s holy
law.
In the presence of God I
make this vow.
They loose
hands.
The
Giving of Rings
The minister
receives the rings, and says
Heavenly Father, by your blessing,
let these rings be to N and N
a symbol of unending love and faithfulness,
to remind them of the vow and covenant
which they have made this day
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
The
bridegroom places the ring on the fourth finger of the bride’s
left
hand and, holding it there, says
N, I give you
this ring
as a sign of our marriage.
With my body I honour you,
all that I am I give to you,
and all that I have I share with you,
within the love of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
They loose
hands and the bride places a ring on the fourth finger of the
bridegroom’s left hand and, holding it there, says
N, I give you
this ring
as a sign of our marriage.
With my body I honour you,
all that I am I give to you,
and all that I have I share with you,
within the love of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
The
Proclamation
N and N have given their consent
and made their marriage vows to each other.
They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands
and by the giving and receiving of rings.
I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife.
The minister
joins their right hands together and says
Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.
You
do not need to
memorise any of these words as the presiding priest will guide you
through them
on your wedding day.
However, it will help you to prepare for the ceremony if
you have read the words in advance.
The
Bells
It takes six ringers to
ring the bells so if you wish to have the bells rang at your wedding,
please
make sure this is booked at the time you book your wedding. There is a charge for this service.
The
Organist
Music is an important
part of your service and there is also a charge for the service of an
organist.
The
Choir
If you wish the Choir to
sing at your wedding, notice needs to be given when booking your
wedding. Choir members also receive a fee
for this
service.
Flowers
These are an important
part of the visual celebrations of your day.
However, as a Grade I listed building we have to take great care
of the
fabric of the building. Here are some
guidelines:
·
All
displays
must be freestanding and not fixed to any part of the interior or
exterior of
the building.
·
Most
florists
use their own pedestals or stands but pedestals belonging to the church
are available
if required. (These pedestals may not be
removed from the church.)
·
Flowers
or
ribbons may be hung on pew ends using florists tape.
Please do not use cellotape, blu tac or
nails. Bows may be tied to pew ends.
·
If
you share
your wedding day with another couple(s) please check with them before
ordering
flowers, since you may wish
to share cost/colours/florists
etc.
Photography
and Video
We are happy for your
official photographer to take photographs throughout the service as
long as
they are not intrusive and do not use a flash.
In the same way we are more than happy for an official video
camera to
be used as long as it is kept on a fixed tripod.
The presiding priest wears a radio mike and
this is usually sufficient to pick up the voices of the bride and groom. Copyright laws require us to charge a fee for
the use of a video.
Once
the register has
been signed, photographers are welcome to film or photograph the
wedding group
as required. Please give enclosed notes
to your photographer.
Ushers
It is helpful to have
ushers in church at least 40 minutes before the ceremony begins as
guests may
arrive early having travelled some distance.
Please ensure the ushers have the
Order of Service with them.
The
Signing of the Register
As we recommend that you have
two copies of
your marriage certificate, you will need to sign five documents. The bride must sign all of these
documents
in her maiden name and not her married name.
You are required to have two people to witness your signatures,
neither
of whom may have witnessed a previous marriage you may have had. Please sign where the presiding priest
instructs you. The registers are signed
in the sanctuary in front of the whole congregation.
The
Rehearsal
You will need to come to
the church for a wedding rehearsal, usually in the week prior to the
day of
your wedding. Essentially, we need the bride, groom, best man and chief
bridesmaid, but it is also helpful to have parents, other bridesmaids,
page
boys and ushers attend so they will know where to stand and what to do. The date of this rehearsal will be booked
with the presiding priest.
Please
note, the balance of your fees are payable in cash at this time.
Timing
As most brides wish to
be photographed as they arrive at the church, please allow enough time
for
these to be taken, so that you are entering
the church at the agreed time of the service.
It is likely that there may be more than one wedding ceremony on
your
chosen day, so it is important that your wedding begins on time and is
not delayed
by cars or photographers.
Facilities
and Helpful Requests
There is a toilet, which
is accessed through the Tower Room at the back of the church.
For wheelchair users, we
have a level access throughout and for those with hearing difficulties,
we have
a loop system.
Hearing aids need to be
turned to the T sign.
If you have young
children in your party there are toys available for use in the Tower
Room.
Parking is limited to
the wedding cars around the church.
Where possible encourage guest to walk or car share. There is a
small
car park nearby and additional parking is available at St
Werburgh’s
Please can you ensure
that any confetti used is biodegradable and not the shiny metal kind. Please do not throw rice.
It is also helpful if confetti is only thrown
at the end of the drive near the wedding cars.
All things bright and beautiful
Amazing Grace
And did those feet, in ancient times (
Dear Lord and Father of mankind
Give me joy in my heart (Sing Hosanna)
L
Lord of all hopefulness
Lord of the dance
Make me a channel of your peace
Morning has broken
O Jesus I have promised
Praise to the Lord
Shine Jesus shine
Tell out my soul
The king of love my shepherd is
Thine be the glory
Suggested
Colossians
3:12-17
1
Corinthians 13
Ephesians
3:14-end
John
2:1-11
John
15:9-17
1
John 4:7-12
Mark
10:6-9, 13-16
Phillipians
4:4-9
Song
of Solomon 2:10-13; 8:6-7
Tobit
8:4-8