Church just felt the right place to be
Karen and Paul
"It's hard to explain why I wanted a church wedding", said Karen, who married Paul at St Mary's Church, Ross on Wye, two days before Christmas 2006.
"Faith isn't a black and white thing. I think church just felt the right place to be. You can get married in many beautiful places all over the world these days, but you only get the blessing in a church. We felt it was important that we had that for our marriage," she said.
The couple were contacted by Viv Price, a Mothers' Union member who helped support couples getting married at St Mary's by offering them advice, prayer and practical help in organising the wedding.
"Viv was great actually," said Karen. "It was valuable to have someone help us with some of the practical things like choosing the right hymns. She came to our wedding and kept in touch afterwards."
I was so impressed with Viv's support I ended up joining the Mothers' Union!
The support of the church was especially valued when Karen's mother sadly died shortly before the wedding. Knowing that her mother would want the wedding to go ahead, the date was not cancelled.
"Knowing that there were people supporting us in both prayer and thought provided support and comfort in what was both a happy and sad time," said Karen.
Did You Know ?
New stats just out show biggest annual increase in church weddings in a decade. Read more
We'd love to see you at Wedding Fairs across the UK this year. Read more
Two-thirds of the CofE’s churches are listed buildings
You are welcome to marry in a CofE church whatever your beliefs
The Church offers family-friendly weddings for couples with children. Read more
A wedding ring is a symbol of unending love and faithfulness
Less than £350 is all you need to marry in church