Weddings
"A man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate"
Mark 10: 7-9
If you’re reading this because you are wondering whether you might be able to be married at St Nicolas, fantastic news! It has been our privilege at St Nicolas to take many weddings over recent years. Although there is now a great deal of choice in where to get married, couples are still drawn to having a church wedding because of an inner sense that this is the appropriate place to begin married life combined with a recognition that their ceremony will be in an experienced and safe pair of hands.
Connections to the Parish
We are delighted that you are considering St Nicolas Church as a wedding venue. We will always ask anyone if they have a connection to St Nicolas and would require (in line with Church of England requirements) that you have one of the connections in the list below.
One of you:
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lives in the parish or
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is on the church’s electoral roll or
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has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least six months or
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has regularly gone to normal church services in St Nicolas for a period of at least six months or
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was baptised in the parish or
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was prepared for confirmation in the parish
One of your parents, at any time after you were born:
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has lived in the parish for a period of at least six months or
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has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in St Nicolas for a period of at least six months or
One of your parents or grandparents:
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was married in the parish
The Reading of the Banns (The Legal Preliminaries)
The legal preliminaries for your wedding will usually be by the publication of banns. This is a notice given out for three Sundays which states you intend to marry, and therefore gives an opportunity for anyone who thinks there is a reason why you cannot (legally) be married to state their objection. Your banns will be read at our 10 o’clock service on the first three Sundays of a month soon before your wedding is due to take place. Please remember that if one of you lives in a parish other than St Nicolas, then you must have banns called in that parish also. They will charge you for the calling of banns and the issuing of a certificate.
The church has people who are willing to arrange flowers for weddings. As they do not charge for their labour, the only cost to you will be for the flowers themselves.
Flowers
Our organist is Peter Lutton. Peter is very willing to discuss your musical choices with you and give you any help you need. Most of the time, we are also able to offer the option of a choir (although this may be difficult to provide during August).
Music
We understand that you want to capture as much of your special day as possible, there is just a bit of small print to consider! We allow videoing by prior arrangement (although there is an increase in fees as the musicians are entitled to be paid for any recording of their work). If you use a professional recorder, please check that they have a licence to cover the recording of hymns and music. If a friend or member of the family is doing the filming, they can be covered by our licence.
Photography and Recordings
Two weddings on the same day
We can get pretty booked up in the summer so although your wedding may well be the only one taking place at St Nicolas the day you've booked there is a chance there will be another one. If there is more than one we allow a two hour interval between the start time of each wedding. This allows enough time for a wedding of typical length, half an hour for photos outside the church after the service, and for the churchyard to be clear of guests in time for the wedding following yours.
We'll make sure you know if this is the case for you.
The Fees for 2024
The basic wedding fee £567
(This covers all the legal aspects and includes the cost of clergy, church, calling your banns at St Nicolas, lighting and administration)
The Optional Extras
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The church Organist £163 (£277 if the wedding is filmed)
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Use of own Organist £82
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The Choir £137
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Video licence £59
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The Bells £36
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Marriage exploration course £27
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Certificate of banns £18
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Use of AV Equipment £59
If you'd like to find out more, or arrange to book your wedding then please get in touch with us.
You can email us at office@stnicolasbookham.org.uk.
Or if you want to contact the Rector then email him on alan.jenkins@stnicolasbookham.org.uk
What Next?
