CHURCHES that offer their premises for wedding receptions must have a churchwarden in attendance at all times to ensure that there are no “bawdy speeches, rowdy behaviour, or drunkenness”.
Guidance published by the General Synod’s Legal Advisory Commission (Synod, 15 July) urges churches to be cautious when offering “all-in-one” wedding and reception packages.
Requests to hold wedding receptions in the church itself rather than in the attached church hall are particularly problematic, lawyers advise. Churchwardens need to be aware that historic fabric and furnishings could be damaged, and should consider banning red wine from receptions.
Parts of the Church of England have been promoting the “all-in-one” wedding and reception package, which is said to save couples money, as well as time travelling between venues. A spokesman said: “Eighty per cent of our wonderful churches are listed as being of architectural or historical interest, and many have a specially created space, or a separate room that’s ideal for a wedding reception.
“These spaces, and whole churches, are already often used for concerts, and parent-and-toddler groups, and all sorts of other activities, as churches continue to strengthen their rightful place at the centre of communities. Churches should, of course, consider carefully the suitability of their church for a couple’s reception, and in the first instance should discuss the possibility with their diocesan registrar.”
The legal advice from the Commission emphasises the responsibility of churchwardens: “It is advisable that one or more of the churchwardens is present throughout the reception, to ensure that nothing inconsistent with the sanctity of the place, or constituting a breach of ecclesiastical or secular law takes place, and that, if breaches do occur, they cease as soon as possible.”
Where receptions take place in an adjoining church hall, churchwardens need to ensure that “the church itself is securely locked, so that there is no overflow of unseemly activities from the hall into the church.”
The legal advice concludes: “Such considerations may suggest that in practice the occasions when a church is likely to be able to be used for a wedding reception are likely to be limited.”