Weddings, Baptisms & Funerals
Marriage in Our Churches
Many people choose a church as the place in which to celebrate their marriage. Tradition is an important part of this choice, but more importantly couples choose to marry in church, in the presence of God because His blessing adds a deep meaning and significance to the occasion.
The Church of England has a special place in relation to the laws of the country in respect of marriage. There is a legal right to marry in the parish church in the parish where you live. You do not have to be a regular worshipper. You will be welcome, and we will be delighted to help you to celebrate your marriage. If you would like to enquire about celebrating your marriage in either St Peter & St Paul Lavenham or Preston St Mary then please contact Rev Simon Pitcher on revsimon63@gmail.com or tel 01787 827691.
If you have celebrated a civil marriage you might like to have your ceremony blessed in church and we will be pleased to discuss this with you too. The Church of England website about marriage is www.yourchurchwedding.org. Here you can find the answers to many of your questions about a marriage in church.
Here is what one of our recent brides said
“When my husband and I decided to get married, we knew we wanted it to be in church. We had attended a few weddings, some in church, and some at other locations. Although the ceremonies at other locations were lovely, we never came away feeling like we had attended a wedding. A wedding in a church just feels more 'real'! The readings that are available for a church ceremony are also wonderful. We wanted everyone to understand that this wasn't just about a 'day' for us, but a marriage, a life long commitment. The readings we chose helped to make that clear. They spoke of the importance of nurturing your partner to allow the family to grow and flourish. The importance of love and honesty within a marriage. I won't lie, when we walked out of the church to the traditional music played by the organ, I felt like royalty! It was an amazing day and let's be honest, if you are going to get married in church, then Lavenham church is definitely the church to do it in."
Baptism
Many people are baptised as babies. Some are baptised in church in later life. For older children and adults, the decision to be baptised is theirs and is part of joining a worshipping community.
The Church believes that God’s love is available to all, regardless of their background. Please call Rev Simon Pitcher on revsimon63@gmail.com or tel 01787 827691 who can talk you through the options: you might prefer to have a Thanksgiving Service first and then consider baptism when you have had time to talk through what is being asked of you.
Funerals
A funeral marks the end of a human life on earth. A service in either church or crematorium provides an opportunity for family and friends to come together to pray, to remember, to express their grief and to commend the person who has died into God’s keeping.
We know that it is important that the funeral service reflects the families wishes and is an appropriate occasion in which to remember the unique person who has died. The clergy are therefore willing to help you to choose music, poetry, readings and prayers that will be fitting.
The clergy and church family will support you through the process of arranging the funeral, and we will support you with our friendship and prayers as appropriate afterwards.
