We’re delighted that you’re getting married: Congratulations!
We are also pleased that you are considering having your service here at St Aidan’s. The information that follows will help the services here to be ones that are memorable for all the right reasons.
Our general information about holding your ceremony at St Aidan’s can be downloaded here:
For more in-depth information about our site, terms and conditions, and facilities, please contact the office.
Making a booking
We encourage you to plan well ahead with a date for your marriage. As you consider where to be married, you are welcome to come in and see the Church. To discuss a date, or with other general enquiries, please contact the office (09) 929 4670 or office@staidans.co.nz and our Administrator, Anne, will be happy to help you.
On receiving your enquiry, we’ll establish the basics and, if you’d like a Minister other than a member of St Aidan’s clergy to take your wedding, they will need to introduce themselves to St Aidan’s Vicar. Then a Wedding Booking Form will be completed. At this point, a deposit of $250 is due, in order to hold the date you require. The deposit can be made by electronic transfer or posted to our Church Office. Email and postal addresses are listed at the end of this document. On receipt of the deposit, a booking is made. After this, one of our staff will meet with you both to discuss the details of getting married at St Aidan’s.
Capacity
St Aidan’s Church has a total seating capacity of between 245-300 people, depending how intimate you are happy for your guests to be.
Fees
The full cost of having a wedding at St Aidan’s varies – the total price is usually $1,250 (excluding extras). The non-refundable deposit of $250 is paid to the Church Office when the booking form is completed. The booking is made only when the deposit is received. On paying this deposit, you agree to the terms and conditions set out in this document. A bond of $500 is also payable, however this is fully refundable if there is no damage, and no cleaning, or extra time, is required.
You must pay the balance at the same time as supplying your marriage licence to our office which should be at least two weeks before your wedding. Payments may be made by cheque, in cash, Eftpos or by electronic transfer (ask the office for bank details).
The fee includes the use of the church for a wedding rehearsal, decorating time and for the wedding ceremony for up to six hours. If you go over the time allowed, there will be extra charges of $200 per hour or part thereof.
The fees mentioned cover all St Aidan’s services associated with your wedding including the Administrator’s time spent with you in planning your service, use of the church for a rehearsal and on the day of your wedding, use of audio-visual equipment and supplying a duty “Front of House Manager” (Verger) to operate this equipment. However, they exclude fees for the organist, the Minister, the ordering of special flowers, any filming of your wedding by us, and a number of other considerations which are separate but should also be paid to the office at least two weeks before your wedding.
Who will take your wedding?
One of St Aidan’s clergy will be pleased to officiate at your wedding. You may have a personal link with one of our clergy and therefore you can ask for that person to take your wedding. Other Anglican clergies can also be invited to officiate.
It is also possible to request that a minister or priest from another denomination lead your service. For this to occur, that minister must contact the vicar at St Aidan’s to obtain their agreement before your booking is confirmed.
Please note: Celebrants who are not recognised ministers of a Christian Church are unable to officiate at weddings held at St Aidan’s.
Marriage Preparation
Taking time out to reflect on your relationship is a vital part of preparing for marriage, so we ask all couples who are getting married at St Aidan’s to participate in marriage preparation sessions.
At the initial meeting with our priest, some marriage preparation sessions will also be scheduled. Please come expecting to explore the way your relationship works now and your hopes for the future. We shall listen to your experiences and help you evaluate these. We see that love is a part of who God is, so any exploration of love is an exploration of God.
If you are being married by a minister or priest from another denomination, our clergy will ask him or her to ensure that these sessions take place.
If you are being married by one of our clergy, in addition to the marriage preparation sessions, the priest will also meet with you to discuss the details of your wedding ceremony. You will be offered suggestions from our experience in conducting services of Christian marriage as we work with you to ensure your special day is happy and meaningful.
The Form of the Marriage Service
St Aidan’s is a church that follows the Anglican tradition. There are three orders of service in our Prayer Book as well as some flexibility in creating services. You are encouraged to read through the services as part of deciding the content of your service. A Bible reading is included as part of the service and you may also choose readings from other sources. A family member or friend may do these readings.
If you want to print the order of service, which should include any hymns or songs to be sung, please discuss the draft copy with the priest taking your wedding before having it printed.
Music
St. Aidan’s has an excellent pipe organ. If you would like the organ played at your wedding, please contact the office to discuss. A separate fee is charged for this service, which must be paid before the wedding day.
St. Aidan’s has sound and iPod/CD facilities which are available as part of your fee. If you are using several recorded music tracks, we ask you to put them all on one device. You’re also welcome to involve someone singing or contributing musically. Music is a wonderful part of worship and we encourage you to explore how best to use music in your service. The St Aidan’s Front of House Manager will play any music tracks you wish to use at the service.
If you are being married by your own minister, you are welcome to invite other musicians to be part of your service. While we can provide some microphones, they are expected to bring their own musical equipment and operate that independently of our sound system.
Please be aware that no outside connections to any device on the sound system desk is permitted.
Audio Visual Facilities
St Aidan’s has the facilities to provide a variety of microphones, and to show an audio-visual presentation during your wedding service. Any presentation will need to be prepared and brought to your rehearsal to ensure that it is working correctly. The Front of House Manager will be happy to discuss details of this with you. Please note that our visual display facilities can only operate Microsoft equipment and software.
St Aidan’s Front of House Managers reserves the right to review the content of visual presentations to be shown and recorded music to be played in the Church during your service.
Please be aware that only the Front of House Manager is permitted to run the devices on the sound system desk.
Photography and Filming
You are welcome to have photos taken during your wedding service in the Church and afterwards in St Aidan’s grounds, and also to have your wedding filmed. On the day of your wedding, the St Aidan’s Front of House Manager will discuss with your photographer/camera operator where they should set up in the Church. Being there—but not obvious—is the guideline which we give them.
Flowers
Except during Lent (the six weeks leading up to Easter), St Aidan’s has two large floral arrangements at the front of the church on each side of the Cross, and one arrangement in the foyer, which will be available for your wedding (these are silk floral arrangements).
You are also welcome to have an independent florist do your wedding flowers. If you choose to do so, these mustbe taken away at the conclusion of your wedding service.
Rehearsal
The priest will arrange a rehearsal with you, usually the day before your wedding.
If you are being married by another minister, a booking for your wedding rehearsal must be made through our Church office. The rehearsal is usually held on the evening before your wedding of up to one and a half hours, allowing for all those involved to be present. It also gives you time to arrange for another team to put up any decorations you may want for your wedding day. If you wish to attach anything on the end of the pews, this must be something that can tie or hang over the top, not require attaching any other way.
A St Aidan’s Front of House Manager will be present to assist you at your rehearsal. Please discuss your decorating ideas with the Front of House Manager. Please note that St Aidan’s cannot guarantee that you will be able to leave your decorations in situ until the time of your wedding service.
Church Decoration
St Aidan’s was built in 1905 and is a listed Historic Building. With that in mind, you are welcome to hang decorations around the ends of pews with ribbon or thread, but not pinned. In keeping with our obligations to care for the church building, we ask that you do not use pins, staples or tape of any kind (including blu-tac) in any part of the Church, including on the ends of the pews.
Car Parking
The St Aidan’s site is a large community complex and there may sometimes be another function on at the same time. Consequently, we are unable to guarantee that the car park will always be completely empty for the wedding guests, but there is a substantial amount of free parking along the roadside on Ascot Avenue.
The Wedding Day
On the day of the wedding, it is recommended that the groom and his party arrive at the church about thirty minutes before the service starts. The Front of House Manager will open the church one hour prior to the scheduled service start time, or earlier if prior arrangements are made, and lock it after the service. The church should be completely vacated by the time agreed with the parish office, with all items belonging to the wedding party removed and the church left in the clean state it was prior to your use.
Clean Up
It is recommended you arrange for a dedicated çlean-up crew’ to assist after your ceremony:
– Put back any furniture , etc. which may have been moved
– Remove all decorating items, fresh flowers, lost property, and any written material left in the pews after the service
– Generally tidy up, and vacuum if necessary
– Ensure that everything has been completed within the set timeframe to avoid any additional charges for running overtime
Confetti?
No confetti, rice, petals or helium balloons are allowed in the church buildings or grounds!
St Aidan’s Hall offers a wonderful option for your wedding reception, meaning that your whole wedding day celebrations can take place on one site. If you are moving on to another venue for your formal reception, the Hall can also be hired for the serving of light refreshments and/or the cutting of the cake after your wedding service.
You are welcome to come in and view the Hall and Lounge facilities by arrangement with the Parish Office, and pick up information and instructions for your catering team.
Marriage Licence You must obtain a marriage licence. The form can be completed online at Births, Deaths and Marriages – bdm | New Zealand Government.
And finally … We are aware that there is a lot to organise in preparing for marriage. We hope that this information is of assistance to you. Please do not hesitate to contact one of our staff should you require further assistance. We wish you every blessing as you prepare for ‘the big day’!
Vicar
