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Bishop of Leicester's tips help vicars welcome brides-to-be as the Church takes a stand at the National Wedding Show

9 October 2008

A team of vicars led by the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Tim Stevens, is set to welcome thousands of brides-to-be this weekend at the National Wedding Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

Couples are welcome to arrange a wedding at many more churches since the law changed on October 1 and the team has been selected and specially briefed to pass that on to as many as possible of the 15,000 visitors. They have been given a set of top tips from how to dress to catching the eye of a passer-by with free sweets and responding when people ask for a prayer.

The top tips emerge as the Church of England emphasises its backing for marriage and the wider welcome it now offers for church weddings. Advice to clergy includes: ‘keep Sundays free for shows like this’, ‘don’t skimp on flowers’, ‘wear your dog collar’, ‘put your smiliest people on shift’, ‘don’t leave coffee cups around’, ‘pray a blessing if asked’ and ‘always thank the organisers’.

The Bishop of Leicester said: “Many more people would choose a church wedding if they knew they could have one. We’re taking the initiative to be at this event where people are planning their big day. 

“We’ll be working hard to let people know we welcome them for a wedding, whether they go to church or not. We’re also going to be telling them about the new law which means that having a church wedding is now a lot easier.”

The team from Leicester includes: the Revd Canon Jane Curtis, the Revd Richard Curtis, the Revd Julie Ann Heath, and the Revd Dr Peter Hooper.

The vicars will be answering questions about a new law that means a church wedding just got easier. They will introduce couples to the new online church wedding planner www.yourchurchwedding.org from the Church of England.

The Church of England team from Leicester joins 300 other exhibitors at Birmingham’s NEC for the National Wedding Show (10th-12th October) to offer advice on getting married in church and help people get in touch with their special church.

Clergy on the stand will give away free gifts highlighting the new website www.yourchurchwedding.org. It features an online ceremony planner, a choice of wedding music and real wedding stories from couples who married in church.

 

Notes

Following the launch of the Church of England Marriage Measure on October 1st, engaged couples are welcome to be married in any church where they have a special connection. See the full connections at www.cofe.anglican.org/marriagemeasure.  

New research from Confetti.co.uk shows that 25 per cent of couples would choose a church wedding if they knew they could have one.

The full list of top tips for wedding show clergy is at www.yourchurchwedding.org/project.