Wedding Services
Our Church is a popular venue for Weddings as it is small and intimate, seating about 80. The lovely garden makes a good background for photographs, all our Weddings are individually constructed to reflect the feelings and intentions of the couple concerned.
For many people, a civil ceremony is too brief and impersonal, yet they also feel out of place with a traditional church wedding service. They may not be churchgoers, or even 'religious' in the conventional sense, but they still feel a reverence for the vows made, and a wish to express their faith in life, in one another and in their future together.
We are registered for same sex weddings.
How we can help:
Chatham Unitarians have a minister and lay persons authorised by the Registrar to formalise weddings at the Church. Within the legal requirements, the wording and Order of Service can be of your own choosing. The Minister can help with the selection of prose, readings, prayers and poems for the ceremony. If you would like some musical content, our musician will be pleased to play for a fee. We also have a list of organists or pianists who you can hire to play our Clavinova for you. We also have a sound system if you would prefer to use pre-recorded music by your favourite singer.
Important Information:
You must visit the Registrar in the district where you live between one year and 21 days before your wedding, as you cannot marry without the appropriate certificate. If you live in different areas this may mean visiting different Registrars. The two official witnesses to a wedding must be aged 16 or over. The person conducting your wedding at our Church must be a representative of the Unitarian Church, either a Minister or an authorised lay person.
What happens next:
If you are interested in finding out how we can help with your wedding please contact us via our email address: medwayunitarians@gmail.com
You will be asked a few basic details including the date on which you would like to be married.
If the date is free, a provisional booking can be made together with an appointment for an informal discussion. Generally three meetings will take place before the wedding. The first is an informal discussion of the options available at which time you will be asked to make an initial contribution to indicate your commitment. The booking then becomes firm. At the second meeting, the plans will be finalized and the third takes the form of a rehearsal. You can see the Church, Church hall and gardens on any Sunday before or after the services. Our church building dates back to 1889 although liberal worship has taken place here since 1655. The beautiful garden in front of the church is a good background for photographs.
Sunday Services:
If you are considering a wedding at our Church, we would like you to to attend at least two Sunday Services to comply with the wording of the marriage documents. We meet on the first Sunday of the month at 10.30am and on the third Sunday at 3pm. Services last approximately one hour followed by tea and coffee.