Few things in life are as wonderful as getting married in Church surrounded by family and friends. Weddings at All Saints are always memorable and joyful occasions, made more so by the beauty of the surroundings, and by the fact that they are part of a Christian tradition stretching back centuries. Think of the thousands of couples who have been married in this place!
The information below is to help couples who are thinking of getting married at All Saints, or who have already decided and who want to check up on the details of the arrangements.
Marriage is a complete commitment. The heart of the marriage ceremony is when you look into one another’s eyes and make your marriage vows. You will promise to ‘love and to cherish; for better or worse; for richer or poorer; in sickness and in health till death us do part.’ As you exchange rings you will say to one another,
‘With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.’
Marriage is intended to be permanent, a rock in a changing world as you grow together in love and learn to meet all the demands of married life.
Arranging your wedding at All Saints Aston or Holy Trinity Ulley
If you want to talk about getting married or to book your wedding, contact us in good time. All Saints is very popular for weddings, and dates are often booked a year in advance.
We are delighted to receive enquiries about weddings at any of the churches in our Benefice. In recent years, the process for booking weddings has become a little more complex, because of the documentation that is now required for legal reasons. The system for wedding enquiries is as follows:
All initial enquiries will be dealt with by Hazel Winstanley, P.A. to the Rector whom you can reach on 0114 287 3780. Hazel’s working hours are 1.30 - 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. At this stage we need to speak to you on the phone - we can’t do this bit by email!
Hazel will take some initial information including your contact details and take you through some of the basics of getting married at All Saints/Holy Trinity. If you want to take it further at this point, she will pencil in a date for you, and make you an appointment to see Revd Frances Eccleston - these are usually Saturday morning appointments. She will also let you know what documentation you need to bring to the appointment. She will send out an information pack and forms by email for you to bring to your appointment.
When you meet with Revd Frances she will check the documentation and forms, and start to get to know you and your hopes for your wedding day. If the documentation is all in order at that point, the booking can be confirmed by payment of a non-returnable deposit of £100.
Following this appointment you will receive an email from Hazel confirming your booking and the date, and giving you a timetable of what you need to do next, and when - attendance at church, arrangements for marriage preparation, banns and rehearsal, as well as a schedule of payment for the remainder of the balance.
We hope this system will enable us to stay on top of all the practical details, and will allow you to focus on the heart of your marriage - the vows you are making to one another in the presence of God. As a church we want to support you with our prayers and our care as you make this step of commitment and celebrate your love for one another.