Weddings – Why St Marys?
Are you looking for the perfect place to get married? Well, we think you’ve found it! If you want a picture postcard Cheshire countryside wedding, St Mary’s is for you. There’s nothing like a church wedding, however smart and luxurious a Hotel or other venue may be. At St Mary’s, we can tailor-make your special day to ensure you get a great experience and begin your new life in the right way. We believe that marriage is something we do not just in the presence of all our friends and family, but also in the presence of God. In a church wedding, we are asking God to be with us throughout that marriage, to bless your relationship, your home and you family. It’s rather special.
Our building is stunning, ancient yet welcoming and just the right size for most occasions. We have an amazing set of bells and a team of bell ringers, a fantastic organ and organist and an adaptable space for flowers and other decorations. Come and see.
If you’d like to know more, please come along on a Sunday morning at 9.45am, or contact the Rector’s personal assistant on (stmaryalderley@gmail.com). We’d love to meet you and talk about your ideas and plans.
The Rev’d Canon Nathan Jarvis, Rector of Alderley.
For more information please email Deb Sellars on: stmaryalderley@gmail.com or download our brochure HERE
See video of a wedding at St Mary, Alderley – press HERE
Some things to consider when planning your wedding
If you wish to arrange for other musicians to play or sing at your wedding, please inform the minister* at least two months before the date of your wedding.
A Choir
We do not currently have a choir at St Marys, but you are welcome to make your own arrangements. Please discuss this with the minister*.
The Church Bells
The church bellringers will ring for your wedding if you request this. Please let the minister* know at least two months before the date of your wedding if you would like the bells to be rung.
Video recording
Please let the minister* know at least two months before the date of your wedding whether you want to engage a videographer. The minister will then ask the organist if he/she is willing to have his/her playing recorded on video. Some organists will ask for an additional fee if a video is to be made. Some organists will not want to be recorded on video. Please do not make any arrangements with a videographer until the minister has conveyed to you the organist’s wishes.
Photography
The minister* who will conduct your marriage service will want to talk with the official photographer/s before the wedding to agree:
- the areas of the church from which photographs will be taken during the service;
- arrangements for photographing specific parts of the service;
- arrangements for taking photographs in church after the service.
At the start of the wedding service the minister will announce that there should be no flash photography in the service except by the official photographer/s.
Flowers
The minister* will want to discuss with you your plans for any special flower arrangements in church for your wedding service.
Which Marriage Service?
The Church of England offers three different services for a marriage:
Book of Common Prayer (1662)
Alternative Services Series One (1966), and
Common Worship (2000).
The minister* will ask you which service you will want for your wedding. To read the three services go to: http//www.yourchurchwedding.org/article/wedding-ceremony-words/
Orders of Service
You may like to arrange for a specially printed order of service with the words of the hymns, details of music and any other information. If you wish to have such an order of service the minister* will advise you about the content of the wedding order of service.
If you are having an order of service printed, please give a copy or at least proof copy to the minister at least one week before the date of the wedding.
Please ensure that sufficient copies are at the church at least 30 minutes before the start of the service so they can be handed to guests as they arrive.
Ushers
You should arrange for at least two ushers to be at the church at least 45 minutes before the start of the service to hand out orders of service if necessary and to assist guests.
Confetti
Please ask wedding guests to throw only biodegradable confetti and to throw it at the churchyard gate. At the start of the wedding service the minister will ask guests to refrain from throwing confetti within the churchyard.
PLEASE DO NOT USE METAL CONFETTI OR CONFETTI CANNON
(All confetti must be biodegradable, or rice is a preferred option)
Practical arrangements on the day
St Mary’s is a wonderful church to be married in.
We pride ourselves that St Mary’s Church and grounds are maintained to a high standard. The interior of the church is kept meticulously clean and it is given a special tidy up and last minute clean before a wedding. St Mary’s Church has spent over half a million pounds in the last fifteen years maintaining the building and the organ. You can be assured that the church and grounds will be in good order on your wedding day.
The Parish Hall at the entrance to the churchyard is owned and managed by Nether Alderley Parish Council
To ensure that no other booking of the Parish Hall is made at the time of your wedding and to give you the full use of the building, the hire of the Parish Hall from 75 minutes before the start of your wedding for a total of three hours is made in your name. Some wedding couples use the Hall kitchen to serve drinks after the wedding service, others have used the Hall as an extra space for wedding guests and for musicians play at the service.
To ensure that there is sufficient car parking, the Church Paddock will be open for your wedding, subject to weather conditions at the discretion of the parking attendant.
If you are proposing the use coaches for guests and wish to use the Mill car park as a drop-off point, please contact the National Trust: Claire.Barnacle@nationaltrust.org.uk Tel: 01625 445852 to arrange as their car park needs to be available for the public when the Mill is open.
St Mary’s Church provides a verger and a car park attendant for your wedding.
The verger will open up the church, Parish Hall and lavatories an hour and a quarter before the start of your wedding. The verger will be on hand during the service at the back of church for any advice or assistance that may be needed as well as assisting the users, looking for lost property after the service (wedding guests often leave things behind when the leave the church), assisting with any other arrangements after the service and locking up. The car park attendant will manage car parking and ensure that space is left for the cars of the bridal party. He also provides security for parked cars during the service.
The features described above are covered by the Ancillary Costs for your wedding.
In paying the Ancillary Costs, you will have peace of mind that all practical arrangements at the church before, during and after the wedding service will go smoothly, that you have full use of the Parish Hall before, during and after your wedding service and that no other event will take place in the Parish Hall at the time of our wedding.
Possible non-availability of the Parish Hall
Please note that the extension, repair and refurbishment of Nether Alderley Parish Hall (at the entrance of the churchyard) have been planned for some time. This building work might take place in 2023/24.
Payment
Two months before the date of your wedding St Mary’s Church will send you an invoice for payment of the Church Commissioners fees and St Mary’s Church charges that are due for your wedding. These are as set out below. Please settle your invoice at least two weeks before your wedding day.
LIST OF CHURCH COMMISSIONERS FEES & ST MARY’S CHURCH CHARGES FOR 2023 ARE AVAILABLE
The Minister is: REV. CANON NATHAN JARVIS
The Preface to the Church of England Marriage Service
This will be read by the minister at the start of your wedding if you choose the common Worship (2000) service.
In the presence of God, Father, son and Holy Spirit, we have come together to witness the marriage of N and N, to pray for God’s blessing on them, to share their joy and to celebrate their love.
Marriage is a gift of God in creation through which husband and wife may know the grace of God. It is given that as man and woman grow together in love and trust, they shall be united with one another in heart, body and mind, as Christ is united with his bride, the Church.
The gift of marriage brings husband and wife together in the delight and tenderness of bodily union and joyful commitment to the end of their lives. It is given as he foundation of family life in which children are born and nurtured and in which each member of the family, in good times and bad, may find strength, companionship and comfort and grow to maturity in love.
Marriage is a way of life made holy by God and blessed by the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ with those celebrating a wedding at Cana in Galilee.
Marriage is a sign of unity and loyalty which all should uphold and honour. It enriches society and strengthens community. No one should enter into it lightly or selfishly but reverently and responsibly in the sight of almighty God.
N and N are now to enter this way of life. They will each give their consent to the other and make solemn vows and in token of this they will (each) give and receive a ring. We pray with them that the Holy Spirit will guide and strengthen them, that they may fulfil God’s purposes for the whole of their earthly life together.
Common Worship (2000)
