Weddings
To arrange a wedding contact Rev'd Simon Piercy using the contact details on the Home page
Getting Married at St John's Church
Choosing to be married in church means you have decided that you want to make a serious commitment to one another for the rest of your lives. As a sign of that, during your wedding service, you will make vows to each other before God and the congregation. To help you reflect on all that might mean to you as a couple, we invite you to join us for some of our Sunday services (11am) before your wedding.
Legal Requirements
By law, either Banns of Marriage must be published (read out) in church on three successive Sundays or a Licence (Rector of Hawarden’s Licence or Archbishop of Canterbury’s Licence) must be obtained before the marriage can take place.
*If you live on the east of Well House Estate, the new Redrow Estates or the Elan Estate please check our Parish Boundary page here.*
At least one partner must live within the Parish Boundary or must be on the Electoral Roll (list of regular worshippers) or one of you must have one or more of the following qualifying connections with the parish:
1. That one of the couple was baptised in the parish;
2. That one of the couple has their confirmation entered in the church register of any church or chapel within the Parish;
3. That one of the couple has AT ANY TIME had his or her usual place of residence within the parish for at least six months;
4. That one of the couple has AT ANY TIME habitually* attended public worship in the parish for at least 6 months;
5. That, during the lifetime of one of the couple, one of their parents has lived in the parish for at least six months;
6. That, during the lifetime of one of the couple, one of their parents has habitually worshipped in the parish for at least six months; or
7. That a parent or grandparent of one of the couple has been married in the Parish.
* Habitually is recognised to be at least monthly for 6 months prior to banns being read but is at the discretion of the Priest and Wardens
If one partner lives outside the Parish, you must arrange with the Vicar of the parish in which they live to call your banns there.
After the banns have been read out, you are responsible for collecting a certificate from the Vicar of that parish (there will be a fee to pay) and giving it to the officiating minister. The wedding cannot take place without this proof that the banns have been called. In the case of a marriage involving one or both of the partners being divorced, the officiating minister must see the Decree Absolute(s).
All persons wishing to be married must be 18 by law
Meetings with the Officiating Minister
Usually, the minister taking your wedding will want to meet with you on a few occasions prior to the wedding. One of these will be to sort out arrangements such as music, hymns and Bible readings and the second to talk through with you what getting married in church might mean.
The final meeting will be the rehearsal which lasts about 3/4 hour and usually takes place one evening just before the wedding.
The Rehearsal
The following people are required to attend the rehearsal:
Bride and groom
Best man
Bride‘s father (or person who will accompany the bride down the aisle)
If possible, the chief bridesmaid or another bridesmaid
The Service
Seating in the church
For a wedding, St John’s can comfortably hold one hundred people. Another twenty can be accommodated in the balcony and a further twenty if people sit closer together in the pews.
Toilet Facilities
Unfortunately, St John’s does not have access to toilet facilities. This is something you may wish to inform your guests about.
Order of Service
You are responsible for producing an order of service. This should contain the outline of the service, the words of the hymns, the Lord’s prayer and details of the music and readings. You may choose not to have an order of service and use the church hymn books instead. If so, please check that your chosen hymns are in the hymn book.
Flowers
You may wish to place flower arrangements in church yourself or by a florist. Please speak to the Vicar to arrange a suitable time for the church to be opened.
Music
Wedding hymns and music are chosen in discussion with the officiating minister and the organist. Not every piece a couple suggests is necessarily suitable. This may be because of the technical skill of the organist, the quality of the organ or the appropriateness of the piece suggested. Where the organist does not have a copy of the music, it is your responsibility to provide it (because of copyright laws, this may not be a photocopy).
Photographs
The congregation are asked not to take photographs in the church. Official photographs are allowed before and after the service, also posed photographs during the signing of the register. Photographs are not permitted during the rest of the service. The photographer must speak to the officiating minister before the service.
Video Recording
You are very welcome to take a video of your wedding service. Because of the limited space at St John’s, we suggest that this is taken from the gallery at the back of church. Once in position, those taking the video are asked not to move around as this is distracting. An additional fee of £55.00 charged for a video. The video operator must be covered by a licence from the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society and this licence must be shown to the officiating minister on the day of the wedding. No licence, no video. The licence may be obtained from www.wvrl.co.uk or CCLI Europe Ltd 26 Gilredge Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN2 4SA. 01323 417711. The video operator must speak to the officiating minister before the service.
Reader
You may like to invite a close friend or family member to read your chosen Bible reading. The person nominated should be used to reading aloud in public. Please ask them to introduce themselves to the officiating minister when they arrive at church so they can be shown where they will be reading from.
Ushers
Ushers are usually first to arrive at the church and the last to leave. They are responsible for handing out service sheets, telling people where to sit
and checking that nothing is left in the church after the service.
Arrival
The ushers are asked to arrive about 3/4 hour before the service. The groom and best man are asked to be at the church 1/2 hour before the service. The bride is asked to be at the church ten minutes before the service is due to begin.This will allow for photographs to be taken.
Marriage Preparation
We are concerned not only that the wedding service itself should go well and be a joyful occasion but also that your marriage is both long and successful. To this end, we hold regular ‘Marriage Preparation’ classes. You will be invited to attend one of these. They offer an opportunity to meet other couples preparing for marriage. They are intended to be fun as well as a serious opportunity for learning about the realities and the resources for a good marriage.
Fees for 2024
Marriage Service Vicar 235 Church 320 Organist 75 verger 60 total 690
Blessing 210 290 75 60 635
video 60
Banns for marriage elsewhere 50
Calling Banns If you do not live in Borderlands Mission area, Banns will be read in the church associated with your address as well as here, a fee will be charged by the other church.
Banns read here if you are getting married elsewhere..£50
Please note that all fees may increase at the beginning of each year.
All fees must be paid 2 weeks prior to the wedding and can be paid online to the church account, or a cheque.
Lloyds Bank Chester
St John the Baptist church
30 91 92
01813655
Diary Dates and Notes
Our Wedding is booked for
______________ (day) _________________ (date) ____________ (time)
The officiating Minister is
_________________________ Tel ______________________
Meetings with the officiating minister
______________ (day) _________________ (date) ____________ (time)
______________ (day) _________________ (date) ____________ (time)
The rehearsal is:
______________ (day) _________________ (date) ____________ (time)
The fee will be: £________