Venues
Emmanuel United Reformed Church, Trumpington Street, Cambridge.
This is the church where we were married. Our minister at Emmanuel is the wonderful Rev. Dr. Lance Stone. You can read one of his sermons here or here. It was important to us that we were able to hold the ceremony in our 'home church' (Kelli is still a member even though she lives in the US!).
The church aims to be a place to ask questions, express doubt and seek answers in a diverse company of people at whatever stage of faith and conviction they find themselves. It wants to engage people within and outside the church in issues of social responsibility, justice and peace. Emmanuel is committed to supporting the arts in Cambridge and often opens its doors to community musical and theatrical groups for performances. Click here for a calendar of events and here for more information about the Fair Shares Café and Traidcraft stall.
While not as old or impressive as some of the many churches in Cambridge, Emmanuel does feature an unusual commemoration of key Reformation figures in the form of stained glass portraits around the apse, two of whom are the poet John Milton (as in Paradise Lost) and the Roundhead Oliver Cromwell. Both were Cambridge scholars. Milton was later Cromwell's Latin secretary.
The present building was designed by James Cubitt and reflects his politicised and theological view of church architecture, as laid out in his book, Church Design for Congregations. He disapproved of the traditional 'spine' design which emphasised the central aisle and a large number of 'ribs' in the form of columns. If the columns are "thick or moderately thick, it inevitably shuts out a multitude of people from the service". If, on the other hand, they are "thin, the inconvenience is removed, but the architecture is ruined ... The type as it remains is but a shadow of its former self–a medieval church in the last stage of starvation". He felt, unlike other architects, that his main job was "to produce a grand and beautiful church in which everyone could see and hear the service".
Accordingly, the central pulpit and Lord's table, in this church, are surrounded by open space and visible to the whole congregation. We think this made life easy for onlookers on the wedding day, although we did see a few very nice hats in the crowd.
The reception was held in King's College, the best-known landmark in Cambridge, where Kelli did her PhD. Now that she has graduated, she has permission to walk on the grass, and everyone did at the drinks reception because they were with her! The speeches, food, drink and music all happened in the Dining Hall (pictured right), a spectacular high-raftered space with panelled walls hung with portraits, stained-glass windows, and an antique tapestry. The candlelit tables filled with happy faces were a wonderful sight. The menu seemed to go down very well. If you visit Cambridge and have the time, you might consider attending Evensong in King's College Chapel to hear their world-famous choir. Visitors normally pay to enter College during tourist season, but if they are only attending Evensong there is no charge.
Click here for a map of the venues in Cambridge (including the Crowne Plaza hotel).