Weddings
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We do our best to make every wedding special and joyful and below are frequently asked questions regarding a wedding in one of the parish churches: I live in Newport Pagnell and want to get married in the Parish Church. Who do I contact first? Contact the Parish Office on 01908 611145 or email npparish@gmail.com and the Parish Administrator, Malcolm Godwin, will take your details and supply you with an information pack. You will then need to contact our wedding co-ordinator, Linda Ramsay on 01908 884927 to arrange a meeting. What will we discuss at this meeting? · gather details from you both about you and your wedding · agree a date with you · gather the information the church requires in order to legally conduct the wedding. This will be on a form that one of you will sign when it is completed. · explain what is involved in getting married at the Parish Church including the fees and legal requirements. How do I know I can get married in the Parish Church? Is it only if I live in Newport Pagnell? ONE OF YOU NEEDS TO QUALIFY! You can qualify under any of the points listed below. These are known as Qualifying Connections: · Church of England baptism in the parish of Newport Pagnell · Church of England Confirmation in the parish of Newport Pagnell and the confirmation was entered in a register belonging to one of the Church of England churches here · A parent or grandparent was married in the parish of Newport Pagnell in a Church of England service · Your usual place of residence has been Newport Pagnell for at least 6 months · A parent has had his or her usual place of residence here for at least 6 months during your lifetime · Habitual attendance at public worship at Church of England services in St Peter & Paul’s or St Luke’s churches for at least 6 months · A parent has habitually attended public worship at Church of England services in St Peter & Paul’s or St Luke’s for at least 6 months during your lifetime Which Church can we get married in? If you qualify to be married within the Parish of Newport Pagnell you can be married in any of the four churches. St Peter & St Paul’s is the largest but if you have a small wedding planned, less than 80 people, you can elect to be married in either St Mary's, Moulsoe, St Luke’s or All Saints, Lathbury. You can discuss this at your first meeting. What if one or both of us has been married before? A second marriage can take place in church at the discretion of the Rector after a meeting with him. It is unlikely a second marriage will be refused but the Rector will chat this through with you. The Flowers We normally supply two pedestals of flowers for your wedding for an additional fee of £98, which are then left in church for the following week's services. You may also use your own florists or flower arrangers. We cannot guarantee to supply flowers for week day weddings. For further information about flowers in church please contact June Weston (01908 618829). What about music, choir, flowers and bells? The office will pass on to you a useful leaflet that gives all the church details you need to organise the above. The leaflet also gives you some background information. There is no need to make contact with anyone until the January of the year of your wedding. What happens next? Wherever possible book the date for the wedding at the church FIRST before booking your reception and then we can start planning your wedding. You will not hear from us until we give you the date of the Wedding Preparation Meeting. What is the Wedding Preparation Meeting? This will be your opportunity to consider together with other engaged couples the nature of Relationship and Commitment. This wedding preparation is compulsory and is a requirement for both partners to attend by Church of England Canon Law. However, we make the session fun and informative! Any children you have are welcome to attend since there is a creche at the back of the hall where we meet. The meeting helps you to think about what makes a good marriage and provides you with an opportunity to meet the key people involved in making your day successful – especially the clergy. The preparation meeting takes place at St Luke’s church on the Wolverton Road Newport Pagnell and lasts for one Saturday morning. St Luke’s is almost opposite The Redhouse pub and restaurant. What happens next? Approximately 2 months before the wedding, you will need to contact the member of the clergy who will be officiating at your wedding and arrange to meet with him or her. At this meeting you will plan the final details of the wedding service. This will allow you to go ahead and prepare any wedding service sheets you are planning to use. If you are considering some special musical feature such as your own musicians or singers please get in touch with the member of the clergy who will be officiating at your wedding as soon as possible (and before you book anything) so that he or she can help you decide the best arrangements. What are banns? Banns are a legal requirement, a means of ensuring that you are both free to marry. To have your banns published one of you needs to be resident in Newport Pagnell, on the church Electoral Roll, or have a connection with the church and town. If either of you lives outside the parish of Newport Pagnell you will need to have the banns read in that parish church too. Please contact the parish priest to arrange this. When the banns have been read you will receive a banns certificate, which you must give to the minister marrying you. You do not need a registrar’s licence if your banns have been published. When will our banns be read out? In law they must be read out not less than three weeks and not more than three months before your wedding. In Newport Pagnell we normally read them on the first 3 Sundays of the month before your wedding (e.g. if you are marrying in June, the banns are read the first 3 Sundays in May). However, if you were marrying at the beginning of a month, we would normally read out your banns a month earlier (e.g. if you were marrying on 1st June, the banns would be read the first 3 Sundays in April). The Parish Administrator will write to you formally giving you the specific dates your banns will be read. Do I need to attend the church to hear our banns read? It is not essential, but if they were not read out in time there would be major problems in getting married. If you could not attend, it would be in your own interests to ask a representative to be present. In Newport Pagnell you will be able to come along to our Parish Church Sunday Service and hear your banns being read. These are happy occasions for you, your parents and the members of the congregation who will be praying for you both in the weeks surrounding your wedding. Being there will help you to feel more that the church is your home and not a vast space that you are renting out for your wedding! When do I pay the church for the wedding? About two months before the wedding, we send you an invoice for payment of fees. When is the wedding rehearsal? The rehearsal usually takes place during the week before the wedding. The aim of the rehearsal is to help your wedding service be a happy and special occasion, helped by your being comfortable with what will happen during the service. Who needs to attend the rehearsal? It is essential that the bride and groom are both present. The best man, chief bridesmaid and the person who is giving the bride away will find it very helpful to attend. You might also decide to ask others who are involved to attend. How much will it cost? The fees payable for weddings held during 2023 are: Statutory Fee £564 Verger (arranging church for service) £50 Flowers (two pedestals) £98 Music fee £152 Optional Fees Video copyright fee for permission to make a video £100 Bells £220 Heating ( October - April Weddings ) £77 A form requesting payment of these fees will be sent to you around two months before your wedding. Anything else? If you have any questions about the wedding service, please do not hesitate to contact The Rector. We are here to help you make this day of commitment to each other before God a joyful celebration of your love for each other. |