Enquiry Evening - Wedding Information

We have an enquiry evening every Monday (except Bank Holidays) 7:30-8:15pm in church for booking baptisms and weddings. There will be someone there to answer your questions and make all the arrangements. Some basic information is given below.

Weddings

A church wedding is a way for a couple to express their life-long commitment to each other. To prepare for your wedding there will be a meeting including a session led by a RELATE counsellor about things that you as a couple need to think about in this new relationship. In addition we have a morning to sort out rehearsal dates and provide advice on hymns. The dates for these will be given when you come to enquiry evening.

If neither of you has been married before and one of the couple getting married lives in the Parish of Codsall we can just take your booking. New regulations from 2008 now also allow you to be married in a church if one of you:

• had his/her confirmation entered in a church register book of a church in the parish, or

• has at any time had his/her usual place of residence in the parish for at least 6 months, or

• a parent of that person has at any time during that person's lifetime had his/her usual place of residence in the parish for at least 6 months, or habitually attended public worship in the parish for at least 6 months, or

If this is not the case, you'll need to attend church here a least 6 times over a period of 6 months to join the church ‘electoral roll’. We will usually take a provisional booking once you have attended for a couple of months. We suggest coming to our weekly 11:15 service.

Do you remarry divorcees?
We are happy to talk to you about the possibility of remarrying in church, which may be possible, depending on your circumstances. Please ring Simon, the Vicar, to arrange for a time to speak about this, rather than coming to an Enquiry Evening.

Banns
This is the legal method by which we acquire the license to perform your wedding. Banns have to be read here at St Nicholas, and if one of you lives in another parish, in that parish as well. It is your responsibility to arrange to have your banns read in the other parish. It is worth contacting them well ahead of your wedding date to ensure that they are read. The other parish will need to charge to you, for providing a certificate to prove that the banns have been read. We encourage you to come along to the service here at St Nicholas to hear the reading of your banns.

The service
Our usual times for weddings on Saturdays are 12pm, 1:30pm and 3pm. We are happy to discuss the possibility of weddings on other days - Fridays are particularly suitable. We hold a wedding preparation session to talk about possibilities for the service, readings, music, hymns etc. There are usually some flowers in church, but you are welcome to provide additional flowers. Further details will be given at the enquiry evening.

PCC fees for Marriage Service & calling banns Building support costs Verger and administration Clergy Fee (to Diocese) - service & banns RELATE Marriage Preparation course Organist	£134 £75 £80 £135 £35 £68
Total, without extras	£527
Choir (if required) Bells (if required)	£60 £110	including £20 bell maintenance
Total, with choir and bells	£697
Video - copyright charge	£30	if you wish to make a video recording

Wedding blessings
We are very happy to carry out wedding blessings, where the couple repeat their wedding vows. Increasingly, people choose to get married abroad, and a wedding blessing is a good way of allowing friends and family to celebrate the wedding, once the couple have returned from their honeymoon. Wedding blessings are also a good way of celebrating significant anniversaries.