St John's, Hartford, offering church weddings without the expense

The Grand Wedding is an initiative by St John’s Church, Hartford, to encourage couples to tie the knot and start married life unburdened by the huge expense associated with weddings. 

Thanks to a team of talented volunteers the church is offering to arrange the full day for a mere fraction of the average national cost.

The Revd Mike Smith, who has been marrying couples at St John's since 2004, explained: “According to national reports, the average cost of a wedding in the UK is £30,000. It can be an enormous burden for people starting out in their married life.

“I have known people struggle with the stress of getting into debt because of these costs, but I’ve also known the costs to put people off getting married.

“At St John’s, we believe that lifelong marriage between a man and a woman is God’s good gift to all and that no-one should be denied simply because of cost. In our Grand Wedding, you have to provide your own clothes, but we’ll do the rest and give you a great day.”


The Revd Mike Smith marrying a couple at St John's. 

A church wedding is a legal Christian ceremony where people are usually married by banns. It currently costs £854 to get married at St John’s Church, which covers the expense of reading of the banns, the certificate, the vicar, organist, and bell ringers, plus the use of the church itself.

St John’s Grand Wedding offer is centred on a full church wedding and includes a two-tier personalised wedding cake, digital photographs, invitation and service stationery, flowers, and a dress alteration service if the bride purchases a second hand or off-the-peg dress.

The package also includes a catered reception in the Church Centre for up to 30 guests including a two-course meal with an option to add a further 20 guests at pro-rata cost.

The church has set three dates for 2019, one of which has already been booked. The remaining two will be offered on a first come first served basis and are subject to the usual legal requirements for getting married in church. One of the services will be conducted by the Bishop of Birkenhead, Bishop Keith Sinclair. 

Revd Mike is hopeful the initiative will be a success and is keen to encourage couples to get in touch if the cost of getting wed in a church is a cause of concern.

He said: “If having a church wedding is truly important to you and your faith, but the cost is putting you off getting married, come and talk to me.”

Page last updated: Thursday 3rd January 2019 10:34 AM
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