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Weddings The United Benefice of Arranging a Wedding or Marriage Blessing Service God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them. *** We hope that this section of the website will assist you in planning and making a booking for your Wedding or Blessing Service. We aim to give friendly and personal help with all aspects of this special event. You will find in this section of the website information that should assist with the majority of aspects of the service. Please feel free to discuss any of this with us, and do ask about any other ideas that you may have for your service. As, together, we make preparations for the service Revd Bill Hornsby will be pleased to help or advise further and will welcome an opportunity to spend some time with you exploring the meaning of Christian marriage as it is expressed in the service. You will find on subsequent pages a summary of charges for the year 2010. You will see that the basic cost of the service, £375.50*(plus extras), is approximately the same as for any religious or secular wedding service. We hope that this means that no-one is excluded from having a wedding service in Church on the grounds of cost. There are other features of a service in Church which you may wish to include, but these are optional, and attract additional charges. Always remember that a simple service can be just as meaningful as a service with all the many other commercial extras which might be offered to you by others. At the beginning of each year we like to be able to confirm your requirements so that bell-ringers, organists and others involved in the service can arrange their diaries for the year. It would be very helpful if one copy of the sheet of ‘Fees for a Service of Marriage or Blessing 2010’ could be returned to The Benefice Administrator, Mrs Rosemary Southon, 2, Weavers Cottages, Church Road, Goudhurst, Kent, TN17 1BL, no later than Sunday 14th February. You will find below sections which deal with If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. Every blessing Revd Bill Hornsby *** Fees for a Service of Marriage or Blessing 2010
Fees for your Wedding Service
The Fees for your wedding Service at
For the Year 2010 1 Statutory Fees Publication of Banns £22.00 Marriage Service £260.00 Marriage Certificate £3.50 each at the time of the Marriage
Total Statutory Fees: £285.50 plus £3.50 for each additional Certificate. 2 ‘Standard Fees Church Utility expenses £50.00 This fee covers heating and loss of visitor income (in season), lighting, preparation of the church. Verger/Duty Warden £40.00 The Verger or Duty Warden is in attendance at the time of the service to assist the Minister in the practical management of the church. Total ‘Standard Fees: £90.00
Total of Statutory and ‘Standard’ Fees £375.50 plus £3.50 for each additional Certificate.
3 ‘Optional Fees’
Please advise the Benefice Administrator at the earliest opportunity which of the following items you would like to include as part of your service:
Organist £75.00 Choir £80.00 Bells £86.00 Permission to make a video recording £140.00 Lighting of Candelabras £20.00
Maximum Total if all ‘Optional Fees’ are chosen: £401.00
Maximum Total Cost of a standard wedding if all available options are chosen: £776.50 plus £3.50 for each additional Certificate.
Notes:
Publication of Banns £22.00 Certificate of Banns £12.00
Please advise the Benefice Administrator, Mrs Rosemary Southon, 2, Weavers Cottages, Church Road, Goudhurst, TN17 1BLbenofficegandk@btinternet.com) Retain a copy for your own records. by 14th February in writing, which of the ‘Optional’ facilities you would like to include. (Or alternatively
Rosemary will then prepare in Invoice for you. Payment should be made by cheque payable to Kilndown Parochial Church Council.
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Some Guidelines to help with arrangements for your wedding. 1. A Marriage Service by Banns is booked on the basis of details given on the Application Form. Any change of details, especially a change of address, should be notified as soon as possible. Legal complications can arise if you do not keep us informed and up-to-date. It is also helpful if you let us know if you change your telephone number. 2. The Banns will usually be read on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Sundays two months before the Wedding Service. For example, if you are getting married in June, the Banns will be read in April. You may like to use the Reading of Banns as an opportunity to attend church prior to your wedding. You will certainly be made most welcome at the service! If either, or both, of you lives outside the boundary of the parish church where you are to be married then you should obtain a Certificate of Banns from the parish(es) in which you live. Fees for the reading of ‘Away Banns’ will be payable to those churches. In 2010 the Fees will be £22.00 plus £12.00 for a Certificate – a total of £34.00. If you are not certain in which parish you live, simply enter ‘A Church Near You’ into your internet search engine to access the complete list of parishes in England. Search by your address or postcode to identify the appropriate Parish. Make contact with the minister there and ask to arrange for ‘Away Banns’. Once they have been read you will need to bring the Certificate(s) to the rehearsal. 3. It is good if we can arrange to meet 2-3 months prior to the service to finalise details. The payment of Fees is due at the time of first Reading of Banns. It is helpful if you can bring a cheque when you attend to hear the Banns read. 4. Some couples like to make arrangements for their passports to reflect their new status as a married couple. The Passport Office can advise on the relevant process which may involve the minister who is to perform your wedding completing some simple paperwork with you. It is best to start this process as soon as possible in order to avoid any difficulties nearer the date of the wedding. 5. Your wedding in church is an Act of Worship conducted in the sight of God and the congregation. It is, therefore, not appropriate to encourage members of the congregation to take photographs during the service. To avoid embarrassment on the day we would be grateful if you could make clear to your families and friends that this is the case. We are delighted to be included in posing for photographs afterwards and are keen that you should have a good record of this important day. If you are planning to use the services of a professional photographer we would be grateful if you could arrange for them to speak to Revd Bill Hornsby beforehand. Acceptable arrangements can usually be agreed to ensure that you have good pictures of the entry of the bride, exchanging of rings, Blessing of the Marriage, Signing of the Registers etc., whilst maintaining the essential focus on the worship. 6. Video recording of the service is permitted if arranged according to the terms and conditions set out on the ‘Agreement for Video-recording’ and the appropriate fee has been paid. Video recording from the congregation is not permitted. Please see the separate section on photography and video-recording. 7. The organist appointed to oversee the music at your service will be pleased to assist in choosing appropriate music and hymns. Information is included in the 'Music' section which outlines some traditional and some more recent hymns and worship songs. 8. You will find also a section giving suggestions for possible readings from scripture for use during your service. At least one reading must be from the Bible. A careful choice can add greatly to making the service personal to you. The list is not exhaustive or exclusive. If you have a thought of using another passage of scripture, or have in mind an additional reading of poetry or prose, please do not hesitate to discuss it with us. 9. A section is also included ed which describes arrangements for the provision of flowers. We have our own teams of flower arrangers who provide the flowers for our weekly services. They are extremely talented and competent and have great experience in what looks well in the churches. You may decide that you need nothing more! 10. A ‘standard fee’ of £40.00 is made for the services of a ‘verger’. The verger is present to enable the member of clergy who is conducting your service to be able to concentrate on doing just that. Ideally, the verger will have nothing to do. But should an unexpected circumstance arise which requires attention the verger is there to assist, we hope, with the minimum of disruption to the service. 11. If you are expecting a large number of guests you might like to arrange for a number of ‘ushers’ to be identified. Ushers can greet your guests, hand out Orders of Service, escort guests to their seats and generally be a friendly, familiar and welcoming presence. The ‘tradition’ of Bride’s guests sitting on the North side (LHS looking towards the altar) and Groom’s guests sitting on the South side (RHS looking towards the altar) is fine – but we always suggest that people should feel free to sit where they can see and hear to best advantage – irrespective of whose ‘side’ they’re on! It helps in planning the detail of the service if we can be made aware of any visitors who have particular needs such as a requirement for wheelchair access. Do be aware that the Victorian heating grille which runs the length of the floor of the nave at Christ Church, Kilndown, can be a hazard to those wearing pointy heels or using walking sticks or crutches! 12. An Order of Service can be helpful to give visitors an outline of how the service is organised and to give words of hymns and any special prayers. In the folder is an outline Order of Service which, from experience, works well. It is based on the ‘Common Worship’ service, arranged so that the actual Marriage comes early in the service. There are many advantages in this – not least that there is less time for nerves to take over! We are happy to assist in commenting on a first draft of your Order of Service to ensure that everything is included and to help with proof-reading before final production. This can help ensure that not too many ‘howlers’ creep in. A copy of a letter from Canon David Winter, published in The Church Times a couple of years ago, is included at the end of this section of the website by way of light relief and awful warning! Please remember that, if you are having the Order of Service professionally printed, you will need at least one copy for each adult guest. Our experience is that it is not uncommon for people to ask if they can have an additional copy ‘to send to Auntie Flossie – she can’t be here and would love to see the Order of Service…’ – so a few additional copies might be useful. Should you decide to have the services of a Choir, they will also require copies. Choir copies do not need to be expensively produced – but they should follow the same page layout and format as the congregational copies. If the minister says ‘we now sing the hymn on page 3’ – and the choir only have a prayer on that page… When working on the design of your Order of Service do bear in mind that some of us do not see too well. A clear type-face, in a print size that can be easily seen, using a colour that contrasts well with the background is to be commended. Large-print copies are useful for those with particular difficulties with sight. 13. At the signing of the Registers you will need to have identified two people who will act as formal Witnesses to the marriage. It is helpful if you can bring with you, to the rehearsal, the names of your intended witnesses. 14. A rehearsal is advisable so that we can work out together who is to move where and when, who is to sit where, and generally plan the detail of the service. It usually works well to hold the rehearsal on the Thursday evening before a Saturday wedding. At the rehearsal it is desirable to have Bride and Groom (!), Best Man, and ‘senior’ Bridesmaids, Bride’s father (or whoever will take responsibility for ‘presenting’ the Bride), and any others who will take part in the service by reading lessons, offering prayers etc. ‘Tiny’ Bridesmaids and Page Boys are not essential but are welcome to come along. Please bear in mind that they may need supervision during those parts of the rehearsal which do not involve them! We usually reckon to take an hour or so over the rehearsal. It’s a valuable time in which we can prepare together to recognise God’s presence in all that we do and particularly how God speaks to us through the exchange of vows and symbolic act of exchanging wedding rings. 15. The opportunity to shower the newly-married couple with confetti is a great feature of many traditional weddings. However, it can be messy and difficult to clear up and, if it is used too soon after the ceremony, the photographs can have the appearance of having been taken in a snow-storm. We do ask, therefore, along with most professional photographers, that you ask your guests to restrain their desire to throw confetti until after the formal group photographs have been taken and to do that only outside the church gates. 16. We would be grateful if you could ask your visitors and official drivers to park with consideration for those who live and have their business premises near to the church. It is upsetting to all concerned if commercial parking areas, private driveways and garages are blocked by inconsiderate parking. At Goudhurst it is usually possible to arrange for the use of the school playing field as a parking area. The fee for the use of the field goes to the school. 17. One very practical consideration to bring to the notice of your guests is that there are, not yet, any toilet facilities at either church! 18. In order that the wedding – which is an act of worship – can commence in a relaxed and prayerful manner we encourage guests to be in church and seated not less than ten to fifteen minutes before the intended start time of the service. Arriving two minutes before the appointed time, trying to pin a buttonhole posy into place whilst looking across a crowded church to see where ‘Uncle Fred’ is seated and wishing that there had been time for a visit to the loo, tends to diminish the capacity for calm and peaceful enjoyment of the ‘Big Day’! 19. When we meet to discuss arrangements we like to offer to you a small booklet ‘Growing Together – Preparing for Marriage’. However long you have known your intended partner it is inevitable that there will always be new things to discover. This is one of the joys of marriage – that together you set out on a journey of discovery of who you are as individuals and as a couple. Inevitably there will be changes in your relationship after marriage and the wider world will view your relationship in a different light. We commend the little booklet to you as a way of exploring your relationship. We hope that you will enjoy working through the various sections and that it will be a good experience to share. We suggest that you take time over the exploration – perhaps spreading it over several week-end evenings – supported by a bottle of wine or a favourite meal or whatever… If you find that questions are raised that would benefit from being shared with someone outside the situation please do not hesitate to contact Revd Bill. A confidential, friendly, accepting, listening ear will always be available. 20. We will do all that we can to make your wedding day as successful and enjoyable as possible. Our booking procedure and guidelines are intended to ensure that legal requirements are met, and to make all charges and other details as transparent as possible to avoid any misunderstandings. If you have any queries at any time please do not hesitate to contact us. Most importantly, we pray that you will be conscious of the presence of God, both on your wedding day and throughout your lives. It is our hope that all that happens on the day will respect that a Marriage Service is a solemn act of public commitment to one another before God whilst being, at the same time, a joyful celebration of your love for each other. There is much to do in the way of practical preparation for this important day and there are many opportunities to become distracted from the real reason why you are coming together. At the heart of the occasion are those few moments where you affirm that it is your intention to spend the whole of your earthly life together, in love. If the practical details become more important than that simple promise then perhaps, we have failed to keep a proper sense of priorities. Our prayer is that your love for God and for one another will grow day by day, drawing you deeper into that relationship of love which God holds for all creation. God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them. ***
An outline structure for your Wedding Basic Framework from which ‘variations’ can generate a personally tailored service ? Music as the congregation assemble ? Music at the arrival of the bride Welcome and introduction Prayer HYMN Preface The Declarations The Vows The Giving of Rings The Proclamation The Blessing of the Marriage (HYMN) The Collect Readings – at least one of which is a reading from the Bible Sermon Prayers HYMN Blessing and Dismissal *** Registration of the Marriage ? Music during Registration ?Music for leaving Exit of Bridal Party ***
Music for your Wedding. 1. Our churches have a strong musical tradition and we are fortunate to have the services of very good musicians. Their charges are rather less than those recommended for Amateur Musicians by the Incorporated Society of Musicians. 2. Sometimes people ask if they can invite other musicians to participate – perhaps having a friend who is competent to play the organ. We are usually happy to give permission for this. If it involves the use of the organ it is important that you gain the goodwill of our parish organist. The organist fee is still payable. All other arrangements are then your own responsibility. 3. Our Choir Members lead busy lives and may not always be available. Please indicate your requirement for the services of a Choir, as early as possible, on the ‘Fees for a Service of Marriage’ sheet and we will do our best to accommodate your request. 4. You will find in the folder a sheet which gives some of the more popular hymns, songs and music which you might choose for your service. To discuss your requirements for music please contact:
5. There is no objection, in principle, to your using recorded music as part of the ceremony. However, do bear in mind that the acoustic conditions in church buildings do not always result in a pleasing experience of some modern music. If you wish to use music from Compact Discs we ask that you make your own arrangements to provide the necessary equipment and for someone to be appointed to be responsible for playing the appropriate tracks at the correct places in the service. Do bear in mind that ‘home-burnt’ CDs are notoriously unreliable. 6. Couples sometimes wish to invite soloists – vocal or instrumental – to provide music during the Signing of the Registers. Alternatively the organist or choir can provide music from their very wide repertoire. *** Choosing music for your Wedding.
Traditional Hymns and songs This is a list of some traditional wedding hymns with a brief description: All things bright and beautiful Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us Love divine, all loves excelling Immortal, Invisible, God only wise Now thank we all our God Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven The Lord’s my shepherd. I’ll not want Other popular hymns and songs Alleluia! Sing to Jesus Instrumental music for your wedding There is a wide range of music available for you to use during the service. Please speak to the organist who will supervise the music for your wedding who will be able to advise you of suitable pieces. When the Bride comes into church Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Handel) At the signing of the Registers Adagio (Albinoni) When you leave the church Chorale – improvisation on ‘Now thank we all our God’ (Karg-Elert) ***
A choir for your Wedding. 1. The parishes are served by a small but enthusiastic group of singers who comprise a Choir which sings at both Christ Church, Kilndown and St Mary the Virgin, Goudhurst. Some members live in the villages; others come from the surrounding area. Given sufficient notice it is usually possible to have a choir available to sing at weddings. As an inducement for the members to attend, modest recompense is offered to them for their time! 2. The choir has a good repertoire of the ‘standard’ pieces. Discussion with our Organist and Choirmaster, Alistair Curtis (01892 783473) will enable you to choose suitable music for your service. In particular, an anthem or solo piece during the Signing of the Registers can be particularly delightful. 3. There is a space on the list of ‘options’ where you can indicate your request that the attendance of the Choir would be appreciated. We will do our best to ensure that the Choir is available. If, for whatever reason, it should prove not be possible to arrange, then that part of the payment will be refunded. ***
Choosing a reading for your Wedding.
The Wedding Service is required to have at least one reading from the Bible. Topics include love, commitment and the best foundations for living. Some deal more specifically with the love of God and the example Jesus gave us. This section gives a number of readings that are suitable for a wedding. Select two or three readings. Read them and ask yourself these questions: • Which of the readings makes most sense to me? If you have any questions, then please do not hesitate to ask. Genesis 1. 26-28 Genesis 2. 18-25 Song of Solomon 2. 10-13; 8.6,7 Jeremiah 31. 31-34 Romans 7. 1,2, 9-18 Romans 8. 31-35, 37-39 Romans 12. 1,2, 9-13 Romans 15. 1-3, 5-7, 13 1 Corinthians 13 Ephesians 3. 14 - end Ephesians 4. 1-6 Ephesians 5. 21 – end Philippians 4.4-9 Colossians 3.12-17 1 John 3. 18 – end 1 John 4. 7-12 Matthew 5.1-10 Matthew 7. 21, 24 – end Mark 10. 6-9. 13-16 John 2. 1-11 John 15. 1-8 John 15. 9-17 ***
Advice on the provision of flowers for your Wedding. 1. At both Goudhurst and Kilndown there are teams of experienced flower arrangers who have a good understanding of what looks well in the church. Flowers are placed in both churches week by week, with the exception of the Advent and Lent seasons. You may find that those flowers will be sufficient decoration for your service. No charge is made. 2. Alternatively you might prefer to arrange for a family member or professional florist to provide additional floral arrangements. 3. If your wedding is to be at St Mary the Virgin, Goudhurst, please contact:
You are invited to return the form below to Mrs Farnfield at the earliest opportunity to indicate your intentions regarding flowers. 4. If your wedding is to be at Christ Church, Kilndown, please contact:
Lynda is a professional florist and acts as co-ordinator for the team of volunteer flower arrangers at Christ Church.
St Mary the Virgin, Goudhurst Date and time of wedding:……………………………………………………
1. We are content to have available the flowers at the Altar and in the Bedgebury Chapel as provided for the weekly worship. Please note it is not usual for the parish team to provide flowers in the church during Lent and Advent. Yes No 2. We would like a family member, friend or professional florist to provide flowers for our wedding. Yes No 3. In addition to our own arrangements we would like the arrangements at the Altar and Bedgebury Chapel, provided on Fridays or Saturdays by the duty flower ladies, to be in place and available for our service. Yes No 4. We understand that we are responsible for arranging for the removal from the church, and proper disposal of, all our floral arrangements by no later than four days following the service. We enclose a cheque in the sum of £50, payable to St Mary’s Flower Fund, as a deposit. The cheque will be returned or destroyed if the arrangements are satisfactorily removed. Cheque enclosed: Yes No 5. If you are providing your own arrangements you are welcome to use the church flower pedestals. These may not be taken from the church unless by special permission and an additional deposit of £50 is paid. We would like to borrow some pedestals from the church and enclose an additional deposit cheque in the sum of £50, payable to St Mary’s Flower Fund. Yes No 6. Please note that there are rubbish bins by the steps into Back Lane. The Green Bin is for general rubbish, including plastic wrapping and Oasis. The Brown Bin is for degradable items such as flowers. Please complete and return a copy of the form to: Mrs Judith Farnfield, The South Oast at Smugley Farm, Bedgebury Road, Goudhurst, Cranbrook, Kent, TN17 2QU and retain a copy for your records. ***
Bell ringing for your Wedding. 1. At both Christ Church, Kilndown and St Mary the Virgin, Goudhurst we are fortunate to have available ‘bands’ of enthusiastic and competent bell-ringers. Some live in the villages; others come from the surrounding area. Given sufficient notice it is usually possible to have a team of ringers available to ring at weddings. 2. The usual practice at both churches is to ring both before and after the wedding service. 3. Both towers are happy to invite competent ringers from amongst the family members, and the wider congregation, to take a rope and join in the ringing. It is even known for either, or both, the Bride and Groom to join in if they are ringers themselves! 4. Do be aware that access to the Ringing Chamber at Goudhurst is by means of a steep and narrow spiral staircase. At Christ Church, Kilndown, access is even more challenging – being by means of a fixed vertical ladder. Not for the faint-hearted! 5. There is a space on the sheet of ‘options’ where you can indicate your request that bells should be rung. We will do our best to ensure that a band is available. If, for whatever reason, it should prove not be possible to arrange, then that part of the payment will be refunded. ***
Use of Photography and Video Recording at your Wedding. 1. We welcome the opportunity to discuss how your official photographer may best capture a good record of your service. Some photographers are even prepared to attend at the rehearsal in order to ensure that they are familiar with the building and the form of the service. We suspect that, when this happens, there might be an ‘additional fee’ to be paid to the photographer! 2. If we have not met before it is helpful if your official photographer/videographer can make contact as soon as they arrive at the church so that we can walk through the service and identify the best vantage points from which the photographs/recording can be taken. 3. During the Signing of the Registers there is no objection to ‘candid’ pictures being taken. We do ask, though, that we are able to concentrate on ensuring that the right signatures go in the correct places. Once the formal signing is complete, photographers are free to arrange posed pictures as they choose. 4. As the procession leaves the church guests are free to take pictures. We suggest that they do that by remaining in their places so that your official photographer can have a clear view down the aisle of the church. 5. Permission is given to video your wedding service with certain conditions. These conditions apply for two reasons: • to maintain the focus of the service as an act of Christian worship, and to prevent intrusive photography and videoing • because recording the service is covered by Copyright Law. 6. The use of video will be restricted to a single camera/tripod, in one fixed position, with no additional equipment such as lighting etc. If you intend to arrange for the service to be videoed, or if one of your family or guests wishes to video the service with your permission, you should discuss this with the member of clergy who is to conduct your service well in advance. You should then complete and return the form in this folder and pay the appropriate fee. It is not possible to put these arrangements in place on the day of the wedding.
The United Benefice of Permission for the use in church of video recording equipment. For use with services of Marriage only. Video recording of the Marriage of………………………………………...to…………………………………………… at……………………………………..church on……………………at……. This notice is issued by the Incumbent to give permission for recording equipment to be brought into and used inside the church for the purpose of recording the above service subject to the following conditions which are in place to preserve the true character of a church wedding: • There will be only one video camera. The attention of the recordist is drawn to the following matters: 1. The law of copyright is complex. It is most important that it is recognised that neither the Incumbent nor the Parochial Church Council has any authority to give copyright permission for the lawful reproduction or recording of any work – literary or musical – which is protected by copyright, or to give any consent on behalf of any performer or person having any exclusive recording right. 2. Certain ‘blanket’ arrangements have been made to facilitate the recording in church of the texts of the marriage service. Without prior application having to be made to the copyright owners, copyright permission, subject to the conditions in paragraph 3, has been given for the recording on either videotape or audiotape of the following material: • Solemnisation of Matrimony from The Book of Common Prayer 3. The conditions under which a tape of the material specified in paragraph 2 may be made without prior application are as follows: a) No rights in the recording and no copies of it shall be transferred or assigned in consideration of money or money’s worth i.e. the rights in the recording and copies shall not be sold commercially except that the original recordings and copies may be sold to the individuals who commissioned the recording. b) No more than three copies of the recording shall be made. c) The recording, including an extract from it, shall not be exhibited in public. 4. The copyright owners of the material listed in paragraph 2 charge no fee for this permission. 5. These ‘blanket’ arrangements and permission relating to the material specified in paragraph 2 do not extend to any part of the service other than the text of the authorised service and psalms from the three psalters. Thus hymns, anthems, additional prayers etc are not covered by these permissions and it is your responsibility to obtain permission for such copyright material which is included in the service. Many of the hymns and/or worship songs used in the service will be covered by the CCL Licence held by the individual church. Please ask the Benefice Administrator for information and also for the CCL number where this is applicable. However, if popular music or poetry is being used in the service, these are unlikely to be covered by the Licence and unless the work is in the Public Domain (i.e. seventy years after the death of the originator) prior permission will be needed from the owner of the copyright. Copyright subsists in a work at least until the end of the period of seventy years from the end of the calendar year in which the originator (author, composer, etc) died. Where there is doubt whether the material is copyright the publisher will usually be able to assist. So far as copyright music and lyrics are concerned detailed advice on aspects of copyright is available from: Christian Copyright Licensing (Europe) Ltd., PO Box 1339, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 1AD. Telephone 01323 417711. *** I have read the whole notice. I accept that the Incumbent has only given me permission to bring into and use the video recording equipment inside the church subject to the conditions specified above. I acknowledge that the Incumbent has not given copyright permission or authorised the recording of any material or performance which may be protected by law. Date……………………………. Signed……………………………… (Recordist) Name………………………………… Address……………………………………………………………………….. Please retain a copy, and return one copy to Mrs Rosemary Southon, Benefice Administrator, 2, Weaver’s Cottages, Church Road, Goudhurst, Kent, TN17 1BL not later than two weeks before the date of the wedding.
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Orders of Service for your Wedding. From the ‘Letters’ column of ‘The Church Times’ : 24th September 2004 Getting it wrong For personal reasons, I have recently taken a close interest in mis-prints in orders of service, especially wedding ones. The most common typographical errors are, naturally, to be found in the words of hymns. There was something vaguely immoral about “Love with every passion bending”, and a touch of the insanitary about “Visit us with thy salivation”. There was also the helpful announcement that while the register was being signed, the choir would sin quietly. For me, the easy winner was the order of service that printed out the vows of the bride and groom, one of whom solemnly promised “to hate and to hold from this day forward”. I blame the cult of the spell-checker. Canon David Winter (Canon David is a former Head of Religious Broadcasting at the BBC) *** God is love, and those who live in love live in God and God lives in them. *** |
Churches Together