Weddings at St. Mary's, Newport

Wedding at Newport Church

It's a real privilege to accompany couples who wish to have their wedding ceremony at St Mary's Newport on their journey towards marriage. The service is central to one of the most important days of your life and we do everything we can to ensure that it is really special.

What do we need to do if we wish to get married at St Mary’s Newport?

The first thing to do is to contact our church administrator about your wish to marry at St Mary’s via the following email address. church.jo@yahoo.co.uk

You will then be sent a letter with important information about getting married in a Church of England church and a form we ask you to fill in and return. This form gathers the details that are needed at this stage of your enquiry.

After this the minister will make contact with you with a view to discovering whether or not you qualify for marriage in St Mary’s. This is dependent on whether you live in the parish, have historic connections with the parish, and/or have any family connections to the parish. See link below for more details about this.
Finding a church for your wedding | The Church of England

After this has been established the minister will arrange to meet you both with a view to a first meeting to discuss and plan your wedding.

How much does it cost?

The basic cost for 2024 is about £607 which includes the service itself, the verger fee for the day of the wedding and the reading of banns. Having an organist is optional, as are having the bells (this is dependent upon the availability of the bellringers) and both incur further fees which we can advise you of when we speak to you.

Can we be involved with the planning?
Of course! Reverend Peter Allen who will lead the ceremony will want to talk with you about hymns, music and readings, and about the printed Order of Service if you are having one. The core of the service is fixed but there is scope to craft much of it to reflect your own approach.

How many rings should we have?
In previous generations, usually only the bride wore a ring; nowadays, most couples have two rings. The choice is entirely yours. A wedding ring is a symbol of unending love and faithfulness, and of the commitment you are making to each other, whether you both wear it or only one.

Can we record a video of the wedding inside St. Mary's?
Yes, but such recording may be subject to a copyright fee for any music that is recorded within the video. This fee is not paid to the church but goes towards royalties for those whose music is recorded. Please follow the link for further information with regards to recording a wedding.
Filming a wedding | The Church of England

Is there a rehearsal in church before the big day?
There will be a rehearsal in church and this usually takes place a week or so before the big day itself. At the rehearsal the vicar will take the couple, and any family or friends playing a part in the ceremony through the service step by step. This is really useful in getting everybody comfortable about the words and where people stand and sit. Because everybody’s diaries get full, the sooner this is fixed the better.

Can I still get married if I've been divorced?
The Church believes that marriage is for life. But it also recognises that, sadly, some marriages do fail and that divorce need not be a bar to remarriage in church under the right circumstances. When you meet with the priest they will discuss this with you sensitively and be able to confirm whether or not those circumstances are met.
Much more can be discovered about planning a wedding within the Church of England at the link below.

www.yourchurchwedding.org

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet in the Church (details here) for our Sunday Service starting at 9:30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

We serve tea, coffee, biscuits and cake after the service. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Accessibility: There is a portable ramp for wheelchair access as we have one step down from the porch into the church, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are toilets in the Church House building next to the Church.

Our Service

The main service begins at 9.30am with a warm welcome. Then follows a time of sung worship. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. If it's a communion service everyone is welcome to come forward to receive the bread and wine in memory of Jesus or to receive a blessing. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

20231231 103920

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times. The creche is in the main Church.
Sunday Club is for ages 3 to 8. The group meets in Church House during school terms. Parents are asked to drop their children off at Sunday Club and to pick them up from Church at the end of the service.
SURE is a club aimed for children aged 9 to 13. Sure meetings take place in Church House during school terms in place of the church service. At SURE we socialise, have snacks and explore stories in the bible in a fun and interesting way. On the first Sunday of the month the children remain in church for the Family Communion.
MESSY CHURCH Messy Church is a place to have fun with crafts, paints, glue, etc. It’s a place where we learn about Jesus in a fun way.
Each Messy Church will have time for activities, where it is possible to move around and try lots of different things. We'll sing a song and have a short talk on the theme. Afterwards we'll join together for a meal.
Messy Church is not just for children, families are encouraged to take part in activities together and sit down and eat together. We also offer coffee and cake for the parents after our small service, giving you a chance to stop and chat with others. It's all very friendly.
Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.

FB IMG 1695547050442

Getting Connected

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome or if you have any questions please fill out the form below.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

Reverend Peter Allen