As a church we welcome everyone who wishes to be married or have a Marriage Dedication in St Mary’s Church, Rydal.
This leaflet is to help you arrange your wedding service to make the occasion personal to you and guests. Whilst the Church is bound by the marriage law and its own rules, within this essential framework it is your wedding and your marriage.
Whilst we do not have a great number of weddings each year at Rydal and Grasmere please do have a couple of dates and times in mind when trying to arrange a wedding service. We do try to welcome couples for the day of their choosing but this is not always possible.
The information below answers some of the more common questions but if you have a specific request then please contact me via the response form on this site.
What do we need to do?
To be married anywhere in England, either in a Church or Civic location you need to first legally qualify to be married in that place by giving notice of your intention to be married. The easist way to do this is by r Superintendent’s Registrar Certificate and that you know what is required, which is to stay in Rydal for seven days before seeing the Superintendent Register on the last day to give notice, (this must be at least 21 days before the wedding date). If you are in any doubt please contact me, or the Registrar, Mrs S Oliver (015397 73567). Normally I would see everyone in plenty of time prior to the wedding and we would sort out these details well in advance.
What about the service?
When we meet I will give you a copy of the Wedding or Dedication Service and explain the various options available to you.
If you wish to have your own printed order of service please first check the details with me, as the law requires the service to follow a particular order, it would a pity to have service sheet that was not correct. If you do not wish to print your own sheet we have a variety of hymnbooks that can be used.
What about the music?
There are three organists who accompany services regularly at the Church, and any of them would be happy to discuss your music with you. When we meet I will let you know who is playing for your service and you can make an arrangement at a convenient time at the Church.
What about the flowers?
Flowers are placed in the Church weekly by a member of the congregation, but for the wedding service these are not usually sufficient. Please discuss with me what flowers you require and whether you will be asking a florist to put flowers into the Church prior to your wedding.
What about photographs and videos?
Both are welcome in the Church but those taking photographs and videos need to be very sensitive to the building and lines of sight. Whilst both are allowed, those responsible will need to meet with me to find out where they may stand. Movement around the Church is not allowed once the service has begun until the Signing of the Registers at the end.
Under the Performing Rights rules there is an additional charge for video recording.
How much does it cost?
We go through the costs of the service when we meet but for 2008, £281 is the statutory fees, including the legal costs, however there will be other local costs including a payment to the organist of £60. Please just ask if you are concerned about the total cost before making any further enquiries.
