ST ALFEGE - Weddings & baptisms, guidance notes

Weddings & baptisms (christenings) at St Alfege: guidance notes

Initial enquiries and bookings are normally made at the church on Saturday mornings between 10.00am and 11.00am when one of the clergy is available in the clergy vestry/church office (to the left of entrance at the west end of the church). Initial enquiries can also be made during the week at the office, telephone 020 8853 0687. When booking a wedding, you will need to bring a passport, proof of address, and a deposit of £100 (non-returnable in the case of cancellation). Before making an enquiry you may find the following information useful.

Parish boundaries

To be eligible to be married or to have a child baptized at the church, you normally have to live within the parish. The parish boundaries are Deptford Creek, Norman Road, Greenwich High Road, Blackheath Road, Blackheath Hill and Shooters Hill Road, Maze Hill, Hoskins Street and the River Thames. Download map showing parish boundaries (.pdf, 105kb).

If you are living outside the parish, but are a regular worshipper at St Alfege and on the electoral roll of the church at the time of booking, then it is possible to go ahead with booking a marriage by banns. For those outside the parish, the agreement of the priest in the parish of residence may also be required for baptism. In the case of marriage, if you are not regularly attending the church but can show a sufficiently strong connection with the parish, it may still be possible to marry at St Alfege under the new Marriage Measure 2008, if you can show a "qualifying connection" (for further information see Marriage Measure).

If a previous marriage has been terminated by divorce, the clergy will need to enquire into the circumstances and see a copy of the decree absolute before being able to proceed. Ceremonies of blessing after a civil ceremony or renewal of marriage vows are not limited by the rule about residence in the parish.

Charges for Weddings and Marriage Blessings

These fall into two categories: statutory fees required by the Church of England and charges for music etc which are at the discretion of the local church. Statutory fees do not apply to marriage blessings.

Statutory Fees

Publication of banns of marriage ... £22
Certificate of banns (if required) ... £12
Marriage Service ... £260
Marriage certificate ... £3.50

Local Charges

£40 ... Verger (including registers/certificate)
£100 ... Organist with choir
£80 ... Organist without choir
£240 ... Choir of four experienced singers (£60/chorister)
£140 ... Bells

£100 ... Permission to Video (this also requires an additional sum of £50 for the organist and £10 for each choir member under music copyright) Please note that this charge refers to ANY video'ing, not just to professional recording.

£100 ... Returnable deposit, payable when the wedding is booked

£250 ... We also ask for a donation, if you are able to do so, of £250 towards the costs of heating and lighting, cleaning and upkeep of the historic fabric of this famous church. We ask you to gift aid this separately from the other charges (for every £100 you give, we can claim another £28 from the government in reclaimed tax as a charitable body). If paying by cheque, this should be made out to "St Alfege PCC".

Arrangements for Baptism

There are no set charges for baptism which is the sacrament of welcome into the universal Church and normally takes place at St Alfege as part of the main service on specific Sundays through the year.

For further information please contact the clergy