Weddings

The beautifully reordered St Paul's Church makes a wonderful venue for your special day, though you will need to live in the Norton Lees area or have strong connections here to get married here. Please get in touch for details. We will working with you to make your wedding service really special.

What you need to know.

Marriage Preparation Evenings

Will be held in conjunction with other local churches and will next take place in St James’ Church, Norton early in the year. We will let you know the date by post, do come even if you are married by then!

The Rehearsal - in church

The rehearsal is usually about a week before you get married, on the previous Sunday afternoon or during the week. Arrangements should be made no later than a month before the wedding. Others taking part in the service should come along to this if they wish, (but it is best for you not to have too many people around)!

Banns

In order to married in St. Paul’s Church one of you must live in the parish or have a significant connection with it. Your names have to be read out on three occasions to establish that there is no legal reason why you should not get married, which is called Banns of Marriage. This will be at our 10.00 am Sunday morning services.

Please come to at least one of the services.

(Banns are read at the beginning of the service)

If you live outside the parish of Norton Lees, their banns must be read at the local Church of England parish church (in England). The church notice board should tell you how to contact the vicar, to ask for your banns to be read. You will need to pay the fee, and collect the certificate after they have been read. This needs to have been completed and the certificate received before your wedding can take place.

Readings

It is usual to have a short passage from the Bible read in the service and this will be reflected in the talk during the service. A friend or relative could read this.

You could also ask someone to read another reading or a poem in addition to the Bible reading - be creative!

Hymns and music for the service

A wide selection of Hymns and music can be played during the service. With a list of suggestions available if needed. It is preferable to talk though the selection with the Rev. as this will give us plenty of time to organise if anything is out of the ordinary.

During your wedding service it is possible to have people to sing and play for you. It really makes the service! Though you will have to arrange this yourselves and check ideas with our organist if you would want his involvement. (There may be a small extra fee should he be required to practice with singers or musicians before the wedding.)

Photography

No photography is allowed during the service apart from one or two taken by the official photographer, discretely and without flash. The photographer is welcome to photograph the signing of the registers and the procession out of church using flash. The couple will not be allowed back into church after the service for further photographs if there is another wedding following.

Video photography in church during the service

In order to do this, a fee has to be paid to the church. In part, this contributes towards the cost of copyright.

The photographer will need a tripod and must stay in agreed positions for the duration of the service. They can of course attend the signing of the registers with the other photographer.

Witnesses

You will need two witnesses to sign the registers on your wedding day who need to be over sixteen years old. This could be the best man and chief bridesmaid, or anyone else.

Flowers

There are usually some flowers in church but additional stands of flowers do look very nice. You can make your own arrangements but a church member who arranges flowers can usually help.

If you are using a florist please urge them to get in touch early in the week of your wedding to arrange access to the church!

Ushers

Could you arrange for a couple of people to give out the service booklets and orders of service. They will need to be at church twenty minutes before the start of the service.

What happens once you have booked your wedding?

• You can now go ahead and book the reception, and all the other things that you might need to do!

• If one of you lives in another parish don’t forget to sort out the reading of the banns with the vicar there.

• Come along to one of our 10.00 morning services to hear your banns being read.

• About a month before your wedding, please phone to arrange a rehearsal. (Let the Rev. know in good time if you are not likely to be available in the week before your wedding.)

• When you come to the rehearsal don’t forget the fees (and banns certificate if one of you lives out of the parish)!

• If you are having an order of service printed, please bring a copy to the rehearsal so that the organist can check the details before the service.

• Confetti is fine as long as it does not get in church.

All fees are subject to change, please check the prices before booking.