Weddings

Congratulations

Making the decision to get married is an exciting moment. It is then followed by many other decisions that need to be made. We are delighted you are interested in having your wedding at All Saints’ Church. As the parish church we are here for you as you mark important events in your life. The priest can help you plan your service and make it personal to the two of you.

Why have a Church Wedding?

A wedding in church is steeped in spirituality and tradition. The priest is experienced leading services to mark important moments in one’s life and can work with you to shape the service to reflect both your personalities. Your local church is also a centre of the local community, where all aspects of life are celebrated.

What happens in a Church Wedding?

A church wedding puts your marriage in the context of God’s love for all of creation. As part of the marriage service your family and friends are asked to uphold you in your marriage now and in the years to come. There will be one scriptural reading, but you can have another reading from whatever source you like. You make vows before God and the whole congregation. The rings you give and receive will be given a blessing and the whole congregation prays for you both and your life together. As with any legal wedding you will also need to sign the marriage register. One of the nice things about a church wedding is the opportunity to sing – you can have whatever hymns you like and some people also like to have a singer or choir sing a song or anthem.
After the service, you could have a celebratory drink in church with your guests before moving on to the next part of your day.

Can I get Married at All Saints’ Church?

All Saints’ is the parish church of Child’s Hill, which goes from Dunstan Road in the North to the Hendon Way / Finchley Road Junction in the South, and from Golders Hill Park in the East to Dershingham Road in the West.
Because marriage changes your legal status, there are a number of legal requirements before you can be married. You can marry in church regardless of your beliefs, whether or not you are christened and whether or not you have been a regular churchgoer. Pending other legal requirements, anybody living in the parish of Child’s Hill is eligible to be married at All Saints’ Church. Search for your address on achurchnearyou.com to confirm which parish you live in.

You can also marry if you can show that one of you or your parents:

  • has at any time lived in the parish for 6 months
  • has at any time regularly attended All Saints’ for at least 6 months.

You can also marry if you can show that one of you:

  • was baptized at All Saints’
  • had a confirmation registered at All Saints’

or if one of one of your parents or grandparents was married at All Saints’.
It is currently not legally possible to conduct same-sex marriages in the Church of England. If you are having a same-sex wedding and would like to consider a service of prayer and thanksgiving afterwards, please speak to the Priest.

How do I book a Wedding at All Saints’ Church?

If you would like to speak to somebody about your wedding or take the first step to booking your wedding at All Saints’, then please come along to the 10am service on a Sunday morning and speak to the priest after the service. This gives you the opportunity to get a sense of the light and airy space. The priest will complete a details form and discuss possible dates and the process going forward.

What happens next?

Before we can reserve the date we ask for a deposit of £100.
Once the deposit is received and the details form is complete you will need to complete preliminaries. This could be a Marriage Schedule (for example if one or both of you is not a national of a country within the European Economic Area). Most often, if you are both UK nationals, the preliminaries will be banns of marriage. This requires that banns be read during the main Sunday service at the parish church where you are resident as well as in the church where you are being married. It is nice if you can be at church to hear the banns read.
If either one of you is divorced there will need to be some additional paperwork completed before the marriage can go ahead.
The priest will meet with you a number of times, to plan the service; to choose music and readings, and to get to know you both better, so that the wedding service is personal to you.

How much does it cost?

Because a church wedding is a legal ceremony, the basic fees are set by parliament. These include:
Publication of banns of marriage £34.00
Certificate of banns issued at time of publication £17.00
Marriage Service in church £505.00
All values are correct from 1 March 2023 but will change.

In addition to the basic fees, if you would like to have music at the service we can provide an organist, who will help you decide what music you would like and can accompany singing and play music during the service will incur additional costs. Some people like to have a singer or a choir to perform an anthem, or an instrument to play during the service. It is also possible for us to arrange flowers for the church if you would like us to. We can also provide a celebratory drink and nibbles for your guests before you all move on to the next part of your day. Speak to us if you would like to do this.
The legal fees above do not cover the heating of the building in winter. All Saints’ is reliant on the generosity of donors, so if you would like to make any additional donation to the church it would be gratefully received. In case of late running, we ask a £100 late arrival deposit.

Basic Organist fee £125.00
Professional singer (cost per person) £80.00
*Instrument (cost per instrument) £100.00
*
Basic Flowers £40.00
*
Church heating £40.00 (when needed)
Cleaning after Reception £40.00

*Values are approximate and may vary.