Wedding Planning

Your Marriage Service can be as simple or elaborate as you wish.  Here is some information that you might find helpful as you start planning your wedding day.

Seating Capacity:  Approximate seating capacity for each of the churches is as follows:

St Mary’s Church, Hadleigh - 300

St Andrew’s Church, Layham - 150

All Saints' Church, Shelley - 120

Service Sheet: Click here to download a template for the Marriage Order of Service, designed to assist you when come to prepare your own order of service. If you want it as .pdf click here.

Readings:  The service will include one or more bible readings.  Click here for a list of appropriate suggestions.  A secular reading can be included, subject to the minister’s approval.

Music: The world’s most inspirational words and beautiful music are yours to choose from, with the minister’s help.  Click here to listen to and see the words of some of the more popular wedding hymns.

Organist:  We have a number of competent organists available.

Other Musicians and Singers:  We have a trained Soprano willing to sing at weddings in any of our churches and the churches have contact with various music groups in the area.  Alternatively, you are welcome to propose musicians or singers of your choice.

Recorded Music: If you choose to incorporate music from a CD in your service, this can be arranged in St Mary’s as there is a sound system.  However, in both Layham and Shelley churches you will need to provide your own means of playing the CD and also someone to operate it at the appropriate time during the service.

Bells:  St Mary’s is able to offer a peal of eight bells, All Saints’ a single bell and there are no bells available at St Andrew’s.

Photos and DVDs:  We are pleased to work with your photographer and videographer and they should always have a conversation with the minister taking the service as soon as they arrive on site. They should never appear in front of the minister or the wedding couple and their party, and should therefore be positioned at either side, or the back of the church building. Photography during the service must not use flash, however, flash may be used for the procession of the bride, the signing of the registers and the exit of the bride and groom. All of this is to protect the bride and groom and to ensure that they have a special day.

It is not the normal policy for our churches to charge for videography, however, on certain occasions it may be necessary to make a charge but this will be advised by the minister taking the service well in advance of the day.

Flowers: Please contact:

St. Mary's Church, Hadleigh:
Jenny Leeks   (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or
Sarah Chisnall  (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Both have experience of arranging flowers in St Mary’s

St. Andrew's Church, Layham:
Sonia Groom, Churchwarden (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) 

All Saints' Church, Shelley:
Anna Dobson, Churchwarden at (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Family/Friends Involvement: We encourage friends and family to be involved in your service, including other clergy who are also most welcome to take part.

Wedding Pack:  We have available a beautifully presented Wedding Pack, which contains useful information and our Benefice Administrator will be pleased to send you one on request.  This weddings pack comes as part of a national Weddings Project, of which the Hadleigh Benefice is a member, and their website is www.yourchurchwedding.org where you will find information on just about every subject involved in planning a wedding, from legalities to choice of music, plus a whole host of other useful and important things.