St James' Church West End Come and see for yourself
St James' Church West End


Weddings

A wedding is one of life’s great moments when two people declare their love and commitment to each other by making vows, giving and receiving rings and signing the registers. This all in front of family, friends, in a beautiful building and in the presence of God!

Wedding Procedure

If we have established a qualifying connection and you wish to book a wedding at St James’ we will arrange an initial meeting to fill in a marriage application form and confirm a date. We will ask you to pay a £40 deposit which will count towards the total cost of the wedding. We will also ask you to bring other documents such as passports and utility bills for proof of address etc.

Marriage Preparation

We run a marriage preparation course in the church hall (next to the church). This course will cover all the practical details you will need to know such as flowers, Banns of Marriage and orders of service and also encourage you to think together about your future marriage and take a closer look at the marriage service. We invite all couples to attend this course and it is usually very well received, informative and fun (so we’ve been told).

For further enquires contact:

Revd Linda Galvin, Associate Priest 
stjameswe.weddings@gmail.com
07934 419302

https://www.yourchurchwedding.org
More Information on Church of England Weddings

Can I get married at St James’?

You need to have a qualifying connection in order to marry at St James’. You have a qualifying connection if:

One of you:

  • has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least six months
  • or was baptised/Christened in the parish
  • or was prepared for confirmation in the parish
  • or has at any time regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least six months

Or one of your parents, at any time after you were born:

  • has lived in the parish for a period of at least six months
  • or has regularly gone to normal church services in the parish church for a period of at least six months

Or that one of your parents or grandparents was married in the parish.

And did you know that if you move house, you’re immediately connected to the church there? That means you can marry in the church of your new parish.

If you are not sure or want to enquire please get in touch and we will try and help you.

Weddings

WEDDING FEES AT ST JAMES’ CHURCH WEST END FROM JANUARY 2025

Basic Wedding Fee for 2025   

Summer Wedding* £937 Winter Wedding* £977

(Don’t forget to deduct £40 deposit already paid)

This is the minimum cost for a wedding at St James’, made up of legal fees, fees for services, and contributions towards having St James’ as your wedding venue.

Breakdown of basic Wedding Fee

Marriage service                                  £544    the legal Diocese and PCC fees

Banns of Marriage**                           £37

Marriage Certificate***                       You now apply for this from the Registrar’s Office (see below for more details)

St James’ Wedding Bundle                   £356

This covers the costs of an organist; our organ fund fee; flowers (a mixture of pedestals and swags with colours of your choice); a verger (who will open the church, set up, ring the bell, assist and tidy up).

**If either of you live outside of West End Parish, you will also need to arrange for your Banns to be read in the parish church in which you live. The fee for this is £57 payable to your local church.

 *** You will sign a Marriage Document as part of the Marriage Service. This document will then have to be delivered to the Local Registry Office before you can apply for your marriage certificate. There are various ways the document can be delivered, and we will discuss what your preference  is. However, there may be a small additional fee for doing this (maximum £10)

*Summer or Winter Wedding?

Summer weddings will be deemed to be those taking place between May to August and a Winter Wedding between September and April. All Winter weddings will automatically include a £40 heating fee. Whilst this fee is optional, it is recommended during those months that it is included for everyone’s comfort. Summer weddings should not require the church to be heated.

Optional Extra Wedding costs

On top of the basic wedding fee, there are a couple of optional extra costs you may choose to have:

Flowers at ends of pews                £75          

Video Licence                               £146 which includes the recording of organ music and licence fee. Please note St James’ church does not provide a videographer

You will need to provide your own photographer but there is no licence fee required

There is no church choir available to sing but you are very welcome to book an outside choir.

Blessing of a Marriage

Please contact us to discuss fees for the Blessing of a Marriage at stjameswe.weddings@gmail.com or

rev.lindagalvin@gmail.com 07934 419302

Methods of Payment

You are welcome to pay by cash, cheque or online banking. Payments can also be made in instalments (as one off ad hoc payments or on a regular basis (please note monthly payments being the most frequent allowed).

Cheques are payable to: St James PCC Fees Account

Online Banking details:

Sort Code: 55-70-05

Account Number: 75650797

If paying online you may need to quote the account name which is:

West End PCC of St James Fees Account

Please also reference your payment by including your names and wedding date

We ask that the outstanding balance be paid in full no later than one month before your wedding date. Thank you.