St Mary's Church, Attenborough

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Getting married at St Mary's, Attenborough

Welcome to St Mary's church Attenborough and congratulations on your forthcoming wedding.

Organising a wedding can be a daunting experience and this information has been put together to help you organise the wedding ceremony.
It explains about having your Banns read, something you may not be aware of but is a legal requirement.

You may want a simple service or a service with the choir and the church bells ringing as you walk back down the aisle.

Getting married can be a very expensive event and to help you budget we have included a list of charges for the ceremony, your Banns being read, the choir and Bells.

If after reading this information you are still unsure or would like to ask some questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

You can also visit the Church of Englands website: yourchurchwedding.org

Why choose a Church Wedding?

· a holy and special building
· hymns and religious music,
· organ and choir, bells
· walking down the aisle
· help in planning the service
· flowers and photos
· prayers for you and God's blessing on your marriage
· an ongoing link with a Christian Community

Reading of Banns
You must arrange to have Banns read. This is an announcement of your forthcoming marriage and is required by Law. The Banns must be read in the church in which you are to be married and, if one of you lives elsewhere, in the parish church where you reside. It is your responsibility to arrange for the Banns to be read, and to collect a certificate which must be brought to Attenborough church. Without this certificate, clergy are not legally entitled to marry you.

In Attenborough church, Banns are read at the 10.00am service on the first three Sundays in the month prior to your wedding. If you need to organise Banns in another parish, the parish church will inform you of the date and times when the Banns will be read.

The Fees
The fees are set on an annual basis. The following are currently applicable during the year 2013:

Statutory fees
Banns £21.00
(An additional fee of £12.00 is payable if external banns need to be read)
Marriage Service £381.00
Certificate £4.00

Local fees which you are requested to pay:
Video licence £50.00

The following are optional depending on your requirements
Organ £60.00
Choir £65.00 * see note
Bells £80.00 * see note
Ireton House Lawn £15.00
(for photographs)

* Note: The Choir and Bellringers are volunteers and their attendance cannot be guaranteed. Availability may not be known until near the date of the wedding, so we apologise in advance for any disappointment which may arise. Any relevant fees will, of course, be refunded.
A video licence is required whether your video is taken by a professional or a friend. If you do not have a video, please contact the Parish Office after the service and the video fee will be refunded.

Payment of Fees
Fees should be sent to the Parish Office: cheques payable to Attenborough St. Mary's PCC. If you prefer to pay by bank transfer, please contact the Parish Office for the church account details. Payment should be made during the month before the Banns are read - an invoice will be sent. For example, if a wedding is to take place in May then the Banns will be read on the first three Sundays in April and the wedding fees should be paid by March.

The Service
The Vicar will advise you regarding the content of the service. Please ask for advice if you intend to have an Order of Service printed. Extra copies will be needed for the clergy and the choir.
The rehearsal usually takes place during the week of the wedding.
Please ask guests planning to throw confetti at your wedding to use the bio-degradable type.

Ireton House Lawn
Ireton House Lawn is privately owned. If you require to use the lawn for your photographs, you must ask permission first. The small fee requested is donated to the church by the owners.

Punctuality

It is important to be on time for your wedding as there may be other services scheduled, or those involved in the service may have later commitments.
Difficulties have been caused by brides being late. In the event of lateness, the clergy reserve the right to shorten the service, and the organist and other officials have the right to leave if they have other commitments.

Please make every effort to be on time so that the service is enjoyable for everyone.

Music

Please contact the organist after a Sunday service. He will be pleased to advise you with regard to processional music and hymns. Usually two or three hymns are chosen. You may also wish to request some special musical item while the Registers are being signed.

Flowers

If you wish to place flowers in church, you can ask Mrs Hillary Brian or make your own arrangements to do so. Please contact the Parish Office (tel: 925 9602) to arrange for access etc.
If there are other weddings on the same day, you should make contact with the other couples to agree on your arrangements for flowers.

Videos and Photographs

Photographers and video-operators should consult the Vicar before the service regarding where they may set up equipment and when it is appropriate to take photographs.

Finally.....

We are pleased to help you as you prepare for your wedding day and we will notify you of a date for a wedding preparation morning. We will also be inviting you to a special service called 'Wedding Hymns of Praise'. This is an opportunity for you to pray about your plans for the future and help you focus on the vows that you will be taking. The service will also help you choose hymns and readings.