A Wedding at St George’s

Thank you for your inquiry about being married at St George’s. We are delighted that you wish to use our beautiful church building. Your marriage will surely be one of the greatest occasions of your life and St George’s is a beautiful setting for such a memorable event. A Christian wedding is a really important occasion. During the service you will commit yourself to each other and seek God’s help to enable you to follow the promises you make as you commit to continuing to love each other. What really makes a marriage is your ongoing commitment to love each other and your dependence upon God’s presence with you both in that loving relationship. The church building is where “the church meets for corporate worship”. The real church is people – those who are followers of Jesus Christ. We seek to share the message of God’s love and to live the life Jesus has made possible through his death and resurrection.

As you consider your wedding we invite you to …
• worship with us on a Sunday at 9am, 10.45am or 7pm.
• attend an Alpha course – this will give you an opportunity to find out about the Christian faith and ask those questions you have wanted to explore;
• talk with a member of the church or staff about anything that would help you prepare for your wedding and your life together;
• have your service led by your own pastor or minister if you regularly attend another Christian Church; otherwise one of the local clergy will lead your service.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Booking This needs to be arranged as early as possible. Ring the Parish Office to find if the church is available; to book the Church please return the form along with your deposit of $250 + (GST $25). Note: There is often more than one wedding booked on a day; start times for weddings are booked at least 3 hours apart.
Marriage Celebrant If you regularly attend another Christian Church you are welcome to invite your own Pastor or Minister to lead the service. For this to occur, that minister must make contact with one of the St George’s clergy before your booking is confirmed. Otherwise one of the local clergy will be happy to lead the service.
Preparation and the Service The person taking the service will want to meet with you both to plan the ceremony and to discuss your commitment to each other. They will provide ideas to help you plan your wedding service. Taking time out to reflect on your relationship is a vital part of preparing for marriage, therefore we ask all couples who are getting married at St George’s to participate in marriage preparation sessions to discuss aspects of sharing life together. If you are being married by a minister or priest from another denomination, our staff will ask them to ensure that these sessions take place.
Organist/ Music The church organist, Sandra Arnold (ph: 630 7254), is often available to play for weddings. You may also use CDs or bring your own musicians.
Licence You are required to obtain a Marriage Licence from the Justice Department (The Department of Internal Affairs) – Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. This must be delivered to St George’s Church Office two weeks before the service, along with your donation to the Church and your organist payment (if using our organist). Note: A licence takes at least four working days to be processed by the Government Department.
Buildings and Furniture We ask that you respect the building and its layout. Furniture or other items may not be moved without the permission of the Vicar or Verger. Tape, blutak & pins are not permitted on pews/ wooden surfaces.
Confetti. We request that you do not use confetti or rice.
Sound/ Other Equipment The Church provides a sound desk operator. If you require any other equipment or assistance please discuss it with us at least two weeks prior to the service.
Rehearsal To book a wedding rehearsal (usually up to one hour) arrange a time with the office (and with your minister).
Flowers If you wish to have flowers in the Church you need to organise someone to supply and arrange them. You may organise to share flowers with other weddings on the same day. Otherwise the flowers will need to be set up after the previous wedding. Our policy is that one main (large) floral arrangement be left in the Church for Sunday services. No flowers need to be left during Lent (the six weeks prior to Easter). If you have any questions about the flower arrangements please talk to the Secretary in the Parish Office. Please advise the Office whether or not you are providing floral arrangements for your wedding. Also book a time for your florist to enter – preferably during office hours (Monday – Friday, 9am – 4pm). The Church can be viewed at other times if necessary and arranged in advance. Some stands and vases are available for use – but must not be taken from the Church. You are welcome to use the window boxes and/or use pew decorations; however, you must not use sticky tape, bluetac or pins on timber surfaces. Candles may only be used on the tables at the front of the church or in the candle-stands provided.
Costs $725 (This includes a $250 + GST $25 booking fee). In the event of financial hardship you may discuss this with our vicar. If you wish to use the church organist that is an extra $130. Note: The cheques for the organist and the church donation should be delivered to the Parish Office, with the marriage licence, at least two weeks prior to the ceremony.
Contact Information For bookings and other enquiries contact: St George’s Office, 19 Ranfurly Road, Epsom. Telephone: 09 520 5652 Fax: 09 520 5653 or email: shamic@stgeorgesepsom.org.nz