St Peter's Church, Stapenhill

Weddings

If you are looking at this page, it probably means that you’re thinking about holding your wedding ceremony at St. Peter’s, Stapenhill.

So, congratulations on your engagement! We’re thrilled you are considering St. Peter’s and hope that the following information is useful to you.

Our Parish Office is open for wedding enquiries and bookings every Wednesday evening between 7 - 8pm (closed bank holidays). Whereas we can answer some questions by telephone, it is easier if you can call into the Parish Office.

No appointment is necessary. To meet our vicar, come along to any of our Sunday services and introduce yourselves to him.

Making A Booking - The Legalities

Before beginning the booking process, we need to make sure that you are eligible to marry at the church by fulfilling certain regulations as stipulated by the Church of England.

Residence Requirements: At least one of you should live within the parish boundaries.; If neither of you live within these boundaries, you can get married in the church after banns (called the month before the wedding) if you are a member of it and are on the church's electoral roll. In the Church of England, you may join the electoral roll of a church only if you have attended services there regularly for six months. You must therefore attend church regularly for more than seven months before your wedding.; If you do not live in our parish but wish to marry at St. Peter’s because it has a particular or enduring significance for you, you may find that you have what is known as a “Qualifying Connection” with the church. For a list of these and more information, please contact the office or visit this site.; It is possible to get married by special licence. Details of this procedure can be found on the Church of England website.
Nationality: You should both be of British nationality.; If either of you is not of British nationality, certain further paperwork is required.
Marriage Status: You should both be single or widowed.; Please note that we do not marry divorcees at St. Peter’s. For a full explanation of why not, please contact the Parish Office to request a copy of the notes of a sermon explaining the Biblical reasons.
Relationship: You should not already be related to the person you intend to marry.

Making A Booking - The Details

Once the legalities are sorted, we can start making your booking. Please come to see us in the office, free from mothers and prospective mothers-in-law for your initial visit!

Dates: Wedding ceremonies usually take place on Saturdays at one of the following times: 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm; You may find it useful to come to book with several dates and times in mind. The service is approximately 45 minutes long but, when you book your reception, don’t forget that photos after the service take time too!
Certificate Details: Certain details will be needed for both the bride and groom when booking your wedding: Full name, age on the date of the wedding, job title/occupation, full address, father’s full name and his job title/occupation. These details will appear on your wedding certificate and in the registers: your great great great grandchildren will be able to research your family tree in years to come and read this information!
Money: The current cost (2010) of a wedding at St. Peter’s is £407 and includes diocesan fees, organist, verger, use of the church, lighting, heating and the legal banns and certificates.; A deposit of £20 or more is required on booking and is deducted from the total fee. Whether you want to then pay the rest in instalments over the next months or all in one go is up to you. We would simply request that the rest of the balance be paid at least one week before the wedding. Cheques are preferred and should be made payable to St. Peter’s P.C.C.

What's Next?

If you haven’t already done so at this point, introduce yourselves to the vicar at any of our Sunday services as he will be keen to meet you. Since you have chosen a Christian wedding, we would ask that you attend one of our introductory courses. This will help you understand the basics of the Christian faith and more details about the next course will be given to you by the Parish Office.

When you call into the office, we will give you a brochure full of the information on this site and far more besides. Meanwhile, here are some things to think about:

Vows

As you have chosen a church wedding, we ask you to seriously consider the vows you will be making in front of God. A copy of the vows will be provided separately. We ask you to read them carefully before your rehearsal but don’t worry, you don’t need to learn them by heart!

Bible Reading

The clergyman officiating at your wedding will give a short address from the Bible. We recommend one of the following passages which are particularly appropriate for a wedding:

New Testament:	Old Testament:
Matthew 22: 1-14	Genesis 2: 18-25
John 2: 1-11	Proverbs 31
1 Corinthians 13
Ephesians 5: 22-33
Philippians 2: 1-11
1 John 4: 7-12
Revelation 21 + 22

These readings are available on separate sheets on request. If you would like other readings from the Bible, do speak to the clergyman who will be taking your wedding.

Hymns & Music

There are normally two hymns or praise songs in a wedding service.

Many couples choose to have the organist play the traditional entrance and exit music along with a selection of music during the signing of the register. However, you are welcome to bring your own musicians or music for all or part of the service.

Orders of Service

At St. Peter’s, we have plenty copies of our Hymn Book “Mission Praise”, which can be used by your guests during the ceremony. If, however, you prefer to supply Orders of Service, please use the guidelines printed here and check it with us before sending them to the printers. We have lots of copies of Orders of Service used in the past in the office which may give you some ideas for making your own.

Wedding Order of Service
Procession In
Hymn
The Marriage
Hymn
Talk
Prayers
Signing of the Register
Procession Out

FAQs about your wedding

I’m not sure if I’m in your parish, how can I find this out?: Please contact the parish office and we will be able to tell you. Our parish boundaries are quite confusing as there is another parish within ours, which covers quite an area of Stapenhill. Also, some of the new estate in Brizlincote valley is part of Winshill Parish.
We already have children, is this a problem?: Not at all. We would warmly welcome you to get married at St. Peter’s and would encourage you to join us at our 9.30am service in the Glebe on Sunday mornings as it has a crèche and Sunday School.
What are banns?: These are simply formal announcements of your intention to be married and are published (or “called”) three times in church during services in the month before your wedding. They are a legal requirement unless you are getting married by special licence. You do not have to be present but you might like to be as the vicar will ask the congregation “If any of you know any reason in law why they may not marry each other you are to declare it”. We haven’t had anyone come forward with any objections yet, but we can guarantee that you will hold your breath!
Can we have the service recorded on video?: We welcome professional videos to be taken of weddings but do request that the person shooting the film stand in one place as directed by us. This allows an unobtrusive film to be made from an advantageous angle while not interrupting the ceremony or getting in your way!
Can the choir sing during our service?: Unfortunately, our choir is unavailable to sing at weddings. If you are worried that no-one will sing during the service, be sure to choose well known hymns.
Do you allow confetti?: Please request that your guests only throw confetti once you are outside the church gates.
Can we have bells rung?: We only have one bell at St. Peter’s so we can’t ring a peal. If you would like us to arrange for the single bell to be rung as you leave church, we can arrange this for you if you let us know in plenty of time.