The Best Wedding Fayre!

A Lovely Way to Spend a Saturday!

I went to the best wedding fayre I’ve been to yet at the church where our ceremony will be!

I think there were a number of reasons why it was the best wedding fayre:

• The mock wedding
• Talking to my suppliers (and getting something I’d wanted!)
• Bumping into an old friend from Brownies and Guides
• Magic by Mark

I came home raving about the fantastic wedding fayre I went to. It was really successful and I had heaps of ideas that I wanted!

Hymns and Readings

Adding Atmosphere to Your Church Wedding

If you’re not the most avid church visitor you might  not be sure of what hymns and readings to have at your wedding. Well never fear!

When I went to the National Wedding Show last April, I was able to speak to the people at the Church of England stand and they gave me heaps of advice!

Hymns

If you do choose to have hymns at your wedding your vicar or your organist will be happy to help you choose some, and also you can visit yourchurchwedding.org for more tips on choosing hymns.

The top five hymns are:

• Amazing Grace
• Give Me Joy in My Heart
• All Things Bright and Beautiful
• Make Me a Channel of Your Peace
• Lord of the Dance
• Shine Jesus Shine

But there are many more you can choose from. Maybe you know some favourites. But do remember, these songs have lots of verses so make sure you only choose two or three songs.

Readings

All weddings in the Church of England include one or more readings from the Bible. You  could include a favourite poem as well, or maybe your friends could write you a poem.

• The most popular reading from the Bible is 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13
  ’… Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….’
• A love poem between two lovers, Song of Solomon, Chapter 8, verses 6 & 7
  ’Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death.’
• Having the perfect relationship, Colossians, Chapter 3, verses 12-17
  ’.. And over these virtues put on love, which binds them together in all unity.’
• Being a good lover, 1 John, Chapter 4, verses 7 – 12
  ’Dear friends, let us love one and other, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God..’

Poems

An alternative reading for your friends who may not want to read a Bible passage is a nice, romantic poem. You may have a favourite, but here are a few popular poems:

• Sonnet From The Portugese XLIII Elizabeth Barrett Browing (1806-1861)
  ’How do I love thee, let me count the ways. I love thee the depth, breadth and height
  my soul can reach…’

• This Day I Married My Best Friend, Author Unknown
  ’This day I married my best friend
  ...the one I laugh with as we share life's wonderous zest’
  

• Today I Married My Best Friend, Rachel Elizabeth Cooper (b.1977)
  ’Today I married my best friend,
  Our bond complete, it hath no end…’
  
• Love's Philosophy, Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) [Bysshe is pronounced Bish]
  ’The fountains mingle with the river,
  And the rivers with the ocean;
  The winds of heaven mix forever,
  With a sweet emotion;’

A Heavenly Wedding

Planning Your Church Wedding

When I was at the National Wedding Show last April, we bumped into the Church of England stand and it was actually quite useful. I want to get married in a church, not everyone does, but I found the fliers they handed out really useful. I wanted to pass on that information to other brides.

Find a Church

First, find a church. You can find your local church using a church near you.com. However, if you want to marry in a church that is not your local parish church then have a look at your church wedding.org.  This website will tell you about the law and where you can marry. I found that very useful as we have to sort this out for our wedding as well.

Get to Know Your Vicar

Secondly, call your vicar. Let him (or her) know the good news and set up a time to discuss your wedding plans. When we went to book the church for our wedding we just gave over the details that would appear on the wedding certificate.

Vows Discussions

Then, attend the church counselling sessions. They will discuss the points that will be raised during your vows. Some couples find it useful to have some time to think about the vows they will be making. I’ve spoken to other brides about this and they said that they came out of the sessions arguing with their husbands. They will ask questions about who gets out of bed first, who will do the dishes, and discuss the answers for these questions.

The Banns

Next, listen to your banns being read. I think this is a legal requirement to listen to the banns being read, three times in a row. This may have changed since I was told this. Plus, it’s a nice experience to hear your banns being read out in church. It can be very special and moving.

Just Before the Big Day

A day or two before your wedding you will have the chance to rehearse the wedding. This will sort out timings and who’s going first, who’s going second, where everyone is going to stand. Your bridesmaids and groomsmen will be keen to do things right for you and subsequently may be a bit nervous. A rehearsal is good for everyone, and it gives the vicar a chance to get to know a bit about your wedding party.

Your Wedding Day

On the day, your vicar will do his best to make sure that you and your h2b have a meaningful, special and spiritual day celebrating your marriage. He should add some personal touches to his sermon and will hopefully make it an enjoyable experience for all.

Your Anniversary

It might be nice to visit your church on your first anniversary and mention to the vicar. He would say something in his sermon to help you both celebrate your first anniversary.