The cost of marrying in a local parish church is set to soar by almost 50 per cent.
It is the moment when they solemnly pledge to stay together “for richer, for poorer”.
But for couples opting for a traditional church wedding, the reality
of that vow could be about to become clear sooner than they expect.
Under new plans set to be approved by the Church of England next
month, couples will to see the basic fee for an Anglican ceremony jump
from £284 to £425 even before they consider the cost of extras such as
having an organist, bell ringers or a choir.
In many cases the bill could come in several hundred pounds higher when music and flowers are taken into account.
Although the charges vary from church to church, a typical parish
church asks for around £100 for the services of a choir, another £90 for
the bell ringers, at least £50 for the organist and about £40 for the
verger.
But wedding planners warned that the changes could force couples to
cut their guest list and go without flowers to find the extra money.
The increase is among proposals due to be discussed at a meeting of
the church’s ruling General Synod when it meets in York next month.
With even the Church feeling the pinch from the economic downturn,
officials have ordered an overhaul of fees charged for basic rites of
passage, to help parishes balance the books.
Under the new arrangements the cost of being buried by the Church of
England is also set to increase sharply, with the basic fee for a
funeral due to rise by a half from £102 to £150.
Clerics said that the changes are primarily designed to “streamline”
the cost of marrying the church, reducing the number of unexpected
extras couples often face.
Parishes will no longer be able to charge for essential services such
as heating, administration or the services of a verger to open the
building and handle practical arrangements.
falling weekly congregations, weddings have proved a welcome source
of income to the Church of England, bringing in around £35 million a
year in basic fees.
Some large churches, struggling to maintain historic buildings could
see their takings from weddings fall under the new plans. Other,
smaller, parishes are likely to see an increase.
William Fittall, secretary general to the General Synod, said that
for the first time the same rules would apply across the 16,000 Anglican
churches in England.
“Times are not easy for dioceses any more than they are for other charitable organisations,” he said.
He went on: “Up to now you have had a situation where what you are charged when you go along to a church has varied hugely.
“In many cases the extra amounts charged by churches have been very very substantial indeed.
“The key thing is that across the country that will not lead to any significant change in the amount coming in.
“The net effect will be that some churches will receive less than
they had been able to charge until now but some will find that they
receive more.”
But Dean Yardley, managing director of the wedding planning website
hitched.co.uk warned: “People are going to have to give up something
else to pay for this, it is a question of what they are going to trade
off.
“The budget is the most stressful part of any wedding.
“You may have to trade off against whether you have flowers in the
church, or maybe cutting down on the buffet at the evening reception or
having one fewer table at the reception.”
Couples spend an average of just over £15,000 on getting married,
including the cost of a large reception and foreign honeymoon, according
to recent surveys.
But despite the coverage given to lavish celebrity weddings, the
average wedding budget has fallen slightly in the last year as couples
apply their own austerity measures.