The reasonable and clear guide to charging for a wedding
In research for the Weddings Project only 2 in 5 newly weds who were asked for money in addition to the set fee were ‘very comfortable’ about this…
1 It’s our privilege and our duty to celebrate weddings. When couples come to us, we want their day to be personal, meaningful, legally binding and beautiful. This need not cost them a fortune.
2 When a couple marries in church it is a privilege for them to pay! They become part of a centuries old tradition by contributing financially to the ministry costs of their wedding. In so doing, they help sustain Christian service in that community.
3 To simply marry in church, everything that is legally required will cost £319.50. In fact that fee, as set out in the national fees table, is all that a couple is obliged to pay by law to marry in church. Other things, like flowers, organists, bells and choirs, are all optional extras.
4 Additional costs for these optional extras should be based on real expense incurred by the church. It’s not lawful, for example, to charge a notional extra fee for the church’s beautiful setting or internal atmosphere.
5 It is good practice for the Church to set out itemised costs in quote form, so it’s easy for a couple to see what they are paying for before they go ahead.
For example…
A couple may wish to book their flowers through the people who usually deliver this in your church. But they shouldn’t feel obliged to. If the church provides the flowers, the cost should be reasonable and clear to the couple. |
6 An annually-renewable Church Copywright Licence covers most songs reproduced for wedding ceremonies and also permits live music during the service (including worship) to be recorded. (www.ccli.co.uk/weddings)
7 If the wedding is recorded a musician can charge extra, according to their association guidelines (e.g. http://www.ism.org/publications/info/). But it is also open to them to waive this as a gift to the couple.
8 If the wedding is filmed any ‘facility fee’ charged by the Church should only reflect real expense incurred by the church by having a video camera in the building. So it is very likely that this will be nil. In any case it is your judgement to waive it.
For example…
If you pay a Verger to ensure all is clean and tidy on the day, it’s the couple’s choice to agree to this if they are paying for it. If so, the cost should be reasonable and clear to them. |
9 Once the final church bill has been agreed, some couples are still keen to offer a donation to the church. Donations (but not fees) may be gift-aided. While these gifts are very kind, no one should feel under any obligation.
10 Meanwhile…the General Synod is working towards making clearer provision for the total and real costs of ministry within the set national fee.
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