Has anybody else had their church fees go up... i'm furious as we've just had a letter saying we now have to pay an extra £100 because of the effort and commitment they put into the wedding... seriously???? they should do that anyway without an extra 100 quid its a house of god isn't it... love, care commitment and all that. Im seriously thinking of resending my invites and going to a registry office as I'm being ripped off. lol
CommentAuthorMrsC
We were told that the price they'd said was likely to go up by 20% by the time we needed to pay. Our vicar said it was due to overheads and inflation, nothing about the price of love!! Think our wedding blessing will be just under £500!
Proud to be a Wife and Mum
Married 4th May 2013
CommentAuthorLauraJo87
Did they give you any indication when you booked that they would go up?
It's a bit of a rubbishy reason, I wouldn't mind if it was a sensible letter about overheads and inflation like gc2b said.
Xx
My Beating Heart Belongs To You
30 August 2013
The First Day Of My Happily Ever After
CommentAuthorTori
Are they therefore suggesting that for a cheaper price you can get it without 'effort and commitment'. That is rediculous hun x
CommentAuthorGabyS
thats my argument... its a church thats suppose to care... They said nothing about overheads and inflation... and they never told us on our meeting in october this would happen. its an absolute joke... i just hope they don't have the nerve to go round with the collection box at the end lol x
We was told when we booked and its been in papers how 1st jan 13 there was going be a big fee jump from the 2012 prices, we not getting married to 2014 but victor told us to work on the 2013 prices but add on abit more for 2014 as jump not going be as big as this year, we was giving a paper with all 2013 prices that was back in march last year and it wa in papers jan last year about the big jump in fees as I remember as it was just after we got engaged so the church have known a long time want fees was going to be its so wrong they haven't told you to now, and how they world it really bad.
frist date:- 14th july 2009
bought our house:- 5th sept 2010
engaged :- 27th december 2011
getting married : 7th june 2014
CommentAuthorLinzi-jo
If you go onto the CofE website you will see that church fee's all over the country went up in 2013 and will be increasing again in 2014. When we booked ours in April 2012 the vicar told us this would be happening and to accomodate for a 50% increase. So it's not just you this is happening to hun and it isn't the vicars choice either, it is all down to the people further up xxx
Got together 14.02.2008
Got engaged 31.12.2010
Will become a Mrs on 30.08.2014 xxxxxx
CommentAuthorGabyS
It seems so unfair though... why on earth are they putting the prices up? No wonder people don't wanna get married these days, the cost really discourages people. x
CommentAuthorLinzi-jo
I know, and thats the reason. Our vicar told us that as you can get married at so many other places now the Church isn't getting enough bookings, so the bookings they do get they now need to put up the cost on to make up for the ones they are missing, if that makes sense? Not fair on the people who have their heart set on a church wedding, but they know that you will pay it to have it there xxx
Got together 14.02.2008
Got engaged 31.12.2010
Will become a Mrs on 30.08.2014 xxxxxx
CommentAuthorGabyS
when my mum got married obviously going back a long time... she only had to pay a donation to the church so why though do they have to charge 450 a wedding now to survive..greed thats why!... i mean were getting married on a thursday so if we weren't paying them 450 the church would just be sat there anyway doing nothing. xx
CommentAuthorLinzi-jo
edited
Back then they had a lot more people in their congregations too though who would donate to the church, churches had a lot more fetes, and alot more funerals, weddings, and christenings. They have to pay for maintenence of the church (obviously the price of this would have risen too) as well as lighting and heating bills (again we all know how expensive this is now) Plus they have to pay people to look after the grounds and you get kids who think it is funny to vandalise the churches which then costs to fix. I know that the vicar of my church is now also one at 4 others because they cant afford to have 1 for each so they are struggling, but I do agree that it is unfair that it is those who attend the church and want to have a religious wedding that end up having to foot the cost of the losses, but there isn't much you can do about it xxx
Got together 14.02.2008
Got engaged 31.12.2010
Will become a Mrs on 30.08.2014 xxxxxx
CommentAuthorCoconut
This is why we decided to have it in the hotel. :) x
CommentAuthormillz090
It costs alot of money to run a church and people forget that.... someone has to pay the vicar to work on a Saturday, organist, bell ringers, heating, lighting, cleaners, maintenance etc. The church still has to run and function and inflation means the costs go up every year like they do for every business.
Nowadays people dont support their churches like they used too, ours is forever having to fundraise to keep it running as people dont contribute or donate like they used too or have the spare cash to donate as much.
Finally marrying the love of my life !!
10th August 2013 - 9 years to the day we met !
CommentAuthorGabyS
maybe if they lowered their prices more people would get married then they could afford to run the church... plus we have 3 churches in our area... theres no real need for 3 not everyone can donate to 3. Our wedding is having a cd with bells on so no bell ringers and were not paying to heat it either as were marrying in may.
CommentAuthorSaraA20
Our vicar did tell me when i booked the church that to work on 2012 prices but that they would go up in 2013. Didnt budget for anywhere near 50% increase though... and to be fair that would mean £750 to get married in the Church. Luckily we have a meeting with them on 22nd Jan, so wont have to wait long to find out!
CommentAuthorLinzi-jo
For a 2014 wedding I am looking in the region of £600 xxx
Got together 14.02.2008
Got engaged 31.12.2010
Will become a Mrs on 30.08.2014 xxxxxx
CommentAuthorAlytaR
Check you local Methodist churches. Ours is beautiful and not as expensive as c of e churches. Some only charge around £200.
CommentAuthorMrs C to be!
I don't know much about churches but we are having to pay £475 for the registrar to marry us at our venue... So even though we're not getting married in a church we are still paying just as much. You would have thought it would have been cheaper. A shock to me when I booked them!
CommentAuthorMargaretH85
As 'Millz' has already pointed out, churches have running costs, like any other building. Last time I checked, churches can't run on thin air.
You wouldn't question the motives of a hotel to charge you £450 for a ceremony would you, so why query the motives of a church.
It certainly isn't greed. Most churches these days run at a lost, as they're so expensive to run.
And yes, they are Houses of God, but sadly a lot of couples who marry in churches these days don't really give two hoots about that. While some of us are marrying in church because we have Christian faith, others choose to do so as it's tradition, or so they get a pretty church in their photographs. You can't blame churches for charging in that respect!
CommentAuthorLinzi-jo
MargaretH85 xx
Got together 14.02.2008
Got engaged 31.12.2010
Will become a Mrs on 30.08.2014 xxxxxx
CommentAuthorRachaelC80
Yes MargaretH85!!! Well said that woman :-) I think the reason why most couples get married in church is for the pictures or that's what their parents want?? If you think it's that unfair get married at your local registry office and save yourself about £250??
CommentAuthorPB
We got married in Church in October and it cost us £550.To get married at our venue it would have cost £350 to set up the room plus the cost of the registrar (sorry dont know the cost but doubt it would be under £200) So straight off it was cheaper to get married at the church but also the time and the effort that the vicar (who incidently doesnt know us well) put into making the service special and pertinent to us was so evident in the service.It was such a beautiful,personal service that took place in a gorgeous church.I would have quite happily have paid double what i did as it was far and away the best part of the day for me. x
CommentAuthorLauraJo87
I don't think it's the price that's the problem, it's that they were quoted a price and not warned it will go up - and I should imagine that £100 is a fairly substantial increase. If a supplier or someone did that, I'd be furious.
In my opinion, in terms of value for money solely, church beats registrar hands down....our registrar costs £550 for twenty minutes at our venue on a Friday. However, when it comes to the choice between registrar and church, I don't think money really comes into it, or at least for us it didn't.
Also, I sort of think that the church of England pleading poverty is amusing. Theyre still one of the wealthiest organisations in the uk, it's just a crying shame they don't filter that money down to the parish churches.
Xx
My Beating Heart Belongs To You
30 August 2013
The First Day Of My Happily Ever After
CommentAuthorInDreamland
Our Church "fees" are £150 which we're fine with. The Catholic church ask for donations but then we have to pay separately for the flowers and organist so it adds up. I guess it's not cheap to run a church and we really don't mind paying.
I think all different denominations have different ways of charging to have your ceremony.
How much are registry offices or registrars to come out to a hotel and then room hire at the venue for the ceremony?
Married the love of my life on Saturday 11th May 2013 xxx
Had our dream perfect honeymoon in Hawaii!
CommentAuthorSaraA20
Dont get me wrong, i don't begrudge paying the fee. Its my family church, i did lost of fundraising for them when i was younger etc and i wouldnt even dream of being married anywhere else! :)
CommentAuthorMrsC
It can't simply be all about making money or they'd relax their principles and marry more couples that ask.
Proud to be a Wife and Mum
Married 4th May 2013
CommentAuthorInDreamland
I totally understand Sarah :D
I know it's a lot of money but I'm sure it'd be much cheaper anywhere else anyway.
I'm the same with the church we're getting married in. My parents got married ther, me and my sister were baptised there and I had my first communion there too. I simply couldn't get married elsewhere either xxxx
Married the love of my life on Saturday 11th May 2013 xxx
Had our dream perfect honeymoon in Hawaii!
CommentAuthorMrs C to be!
Our registrar is £475. W would have loved to of got married in a church, but given the venue we fell in love with was so far out from either of our parishes that I didn't deem it fair to expect guests to travel an hour from church to reception. For this reason we didn't want to compromise on the venue so we compromised on the church.
Neither of us are exceptionally religious, it was just for the tradition and saying our vows in a place of god.
However as stated above, even though its a church people still have to be paid to do the job, the church has to be maintained regardless of the time of year you get married. I have been advised by all of my wedding bookings that prices may increase from now to 2014. And I have been told if I want to secure this months prices I have to pay in full. Granted that's not always possible. Bt perhaps it's a very important question to ask all of your suppliers.... Will your prices increase for next year?
CommentAuthormrs clarke to be
We are paying 500 for our church but was told may increase a little by the time of our wedding so no shocks but its still crappy that they had not told you xx
CommentAuthorGabyS
Like Laura jo said... its not the money its the principle and how it was done.. we sent out our invites and then was told its going up not by a little but a lot and its made me feel ripped off in side. I do understand that the church needs to make money. but it is a heavy fee anyway for a half hour service. now I've got no choice i have to pay it and can't change my mind. And i personally didn't feel that the reason for it was good enough... places of god should put effort and commitment into a wedding regardless of the cost... they are priests it is what they are meant to do anyway... it doesn't take another £100... to be a nice person.
CommentAuthorMargaretH85
The fees are set centrally by the Archbishop's Council, it isn't the individual church's fault, so if you're angry then write to the Archbishop's Council.
Don't take it out on your wedding church though!
CommentAuthorGabyS
but the church must of been aware of this though!!
CommentAuthorMargaretH85
edited
As I posted in another thread, my uncle is a vicar, and he didn't receive official confirmation of the new fees until the middle of December 2012. He was a bit miffed about that, because it was very close to Christmas, which is obviously a very busy time for vicars! It didn't leave him much time to notify couples getting married this month. He is still notifying couples booked up later in the year, because he is vicar for THREE churches, and has a lot of weddings booked for this year.
Pretty much everyone puts their prices up each year, and of course my uncle said to couples booking for 2013, "the fees go up on 1 January each year, just to warn you" but he couldn't predict by how much.
So the main source of your frustration is not the church, but the AC.
CommentAuthorGabyS
The AC should notify the churches sooner then to stop heartache, disappointment and loss of faith because I'm deeply heart as I'm not minted and a hundred pound is a lot of money. Shame they have to make it such a high fee
CommentAuthoralmost a year wife!!
I can see both sides really... Yes she could have been told fee were going up but hun there's been loads of threads on here about it... Also Margaret's first post hit the nail on the head really, I thinks it's a luck of muchness where u get married now (price wise I mean) were looking at around £500 for ours... Really her frustration is at the AC BUT like everywhere it's the first port of call and you're more likely to blame them... If any of that makes sense!? Lol I'm knackered from work x
Ill marry my hero
CommentAuthormillz090
to MargaretH85, i agree with her, Not the churches fault.
Finally marrying the love of my life !!
10th August 2013 - 9 years to the day we met !
CommentAuthorGabyS
I'm not picking on the church I'm saying how furious i am about being told one thing then another...i don't think you really understand my point to be honest... DONT FORGET.... i want my wedding in a church... just think who ever is to blame the church or above should have given me the correct facts!
CommentAuthormrsheavey2b
We were told when we booked ours that the price would go up so she estamated what she thought it would b and she was spot on so we got a letter saying it had gone up but we were OK as we have already payed they full amount including the difference
CommentAuthorGabyS
Lucky for you you were told in advance and it prepared you before you sent your invites out x
CommentAuthormillz090
I think the church should have told you it may go up but it was a question i asked every supplier when booking, is this price fixed or will it be subject to change?!
Finally marrying the love of my life !!
10th August 2013 - 9 years to the day we met !
CommentAuthorGabyS
I guess i didn't think it would happen with the church thats why i didn't ask
CommentAuthormillz090
Well put it down to experience then honey as not alot you can do about it now, unless you complain higher but i don't think they will budge.
Finally marrying the love of my life !!
10th August 2013 - 9 years to the day we met !
CommentAuthorGabyS
i will remember for my next marriage lol... just kidding
CommentAuthormillz090
Haha!!
Finally marrying the love of my life !!
10th August 2013 - 9 years to the day we met !
MargaretH85 xx
