Weddings

Practical Information

We’re glad that you have decided to get married in Church, and wish you every happiness as you prepare for the big day as well as God’s blessing on your life together in the future.

This information should help you plan your wedding. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

First steps

If you would like to be married at Crieff Parish Church, you must first speak to the Interim Moderator, Rev Graham W Crawford. Once a wedding is agreed you should also make contact with the Organist and Flower Convenor (contact details below)

• 1. The Service, is a time of Christian worship which lasts around 30 minutes. The form of the service should be in accordance with that recognised by the Church of Scotland - but that does leave some room for personal expression, which you should discuss with the Minister in good time. Usually the Church is open to all during the services, so please encourage your “evening guests” to come to the Church service, as well as close friends and family, as the Service is the most important part of your wedding day. See below for the vows.

  2. Preparation The Minister is happy to advise you about the service, but also about any aspect of your relationship. Feel free to contact him to arrange meetings at any time.

  We would love to welcome you to our Sunday worship services:

  • Our Sunday morning service is at 11.00am

  A wedding can be a time to explore faith as you embark on a new part of your life journey. We will let you know about informal and relaxed opportunities to explore what faith might mean for you, and warmly invite you to join us!

  3. Music Usually two or three hymns are sung, and you may also wish to select music for the entry and departure of the wedding party. This should be discussed in advance of you making any selection. In addition, it is your responsibility to contact an organist or other musician - well before the wedding - and to ensure that they are told the hymns to be sung and the other music to be played. You can use the hymn books in the church or use a printed Order of Service. Hymn words can also be projected if this is requested well in advance of your wedding date.

  4. Flowers are a traditional part of the wedding service. Wedding flowers are normally kept in Church for the Sunday service, and then distributed to the bereaved, housebound or sick of the parish who greatly appreciate them. If you wish to do anything different from this, and to arrange access for delivery of flowers please contact our Flower Convenor.

  5. Photographs and Video Recordings are welcomed subject to clearly agreed conditions:

  • No flash photography during the service.

  • Video cameras should be fixed in one position during the service. Please note: It is illegal to professionally film a wedding without a Copyright Licence to cover the recording of any music - please confirm this with your video operator. The Church has a licence that will cover the printing of most hymn words, and amateur recording.

  • Photographers / Video operators must consult with the Minister prior to the service.

  • An additional fee is payable to an organist if a professional recording of the wedding is made.

  6. Fees and donations
  Please bring your fees and donations in separate envelopes to the Wedding Rehearsal.

  • Organist: generally an organist determines their own fee. Please note that the fee is +100% if a video recording of the ceremony is to be made. You may use alternative musicians, if agreed with minister and organist, in which case no Organist fee would be payable.

  • Church Officer: £60

  • Use of the Church: There is a minimum contribution of £400 for the use of the church building.

  • Please make your cheques payable to ‘Crieff Parish Church’.

  • Any extra financial donations to the church are welcomed. If you are a tax payer, we ask that you give these donations to the Church as Gift Aid. This has the effect of increasing the value of your gift significantly since we can claim back extra money from the Inland Revenue, with no extra cost to yourself. Please enclose your completed Gift Aid form with your donation. Download a Gift Aid form here.

  • Fees shown above are reviewed annually - those listed are for weddings in 2024.

  7. Rehearsal This should be arranged with the Minister. Only those who are in the “wedding party” need be present, i.e. the Bride, Groom, Bridesmaids and Best Man or other legal witnesses, and whoever is escorting the Bride into the Church. However other family members are still welcome to come along if you wish.

  Please bring to the rehearsal:

  • The Marriage Schedule

  • Order of Service Sheets

  • Fees for organist, church officer, and use of the Church (in separate envelopes)

  • Any extra donation with a Gift Aid Form. Download a Gift Aid form here.

  8. Law You must comply with all the requirements of the Church of Scotland and Civil Law. You must seek advice from the Crieff Registrar (address below) about the requirements as early as possible, as you need to give the Registrar a certain amount of notice of your intention to get married (if one party has been divorced or is a foreign citizen it is longer.) You must obtain from the Registrar a Marriage Schedule (sometimes called "the Licence".) On the day of the wedding, the Minister must be in possession of the Marriage Schedule, or the ceremony cannot go ahead. It is best to bring the Marriage Schedule along to the Rehearsal the night before. It is your responsibility to ensure that the duly completed Schedule is returned to the Registrar within three days. Please appoint someone (e.g. the Best Man or a parent) to do this. The Minister will give them the Schedule as soon as it has been signed by the Groom, Bride, Minister and two Witnesses.

  9. Bride's Passport If you are travelling abroad on your honeymoon, you may wish to take out a new passport or renew an old one. If so, you may want your married name to be the one on the passport. You can get a form from the Post Office for a post-dated passport application. The Minister will fill in the form, giving details of your planned marriage, and the Passport Office will issue you with a passport in your married name, in advance of the wedding.

  10. Changes You must let the Interim Moderator, Church Officer and Organist know if either of you change your address, phone number or email, so that we can contact you if necessary at any time before the marriage. You must also contact the Minister if you are considering changing the time or date of the wedding or rehearsal.