The wedding of Philip and Jennifer Eyre in January 2009

I give you this ring
As a sign of our marriage.

With my body I honour you,
All that I am I give to you,
And all that I have I share with you,
Within the love of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

(from The Marriage Service)

The Grosvenor Chapel is not only a beautiful building, but a holy place in which to exchange wedding vows, celebrate with family and friends and receive the blessing of God upon your marriage.

The Grosvenor Chapel is a Chapel-of-Ease within the parish of St George, Hanover Square. If you are a resident of the parish (basically the boundaries of Mayfair) you can be married here after the calling of banns: the announcement of your wedding on three consecutive Sundays within the three months before the wedding both here and in the parish church of your financé(e).

If you are not resident in Mayfair you can only be married here if you are on the Electoral Roll, the register of the regular worshippers at the Chapel (please see the application form for more details) or have some connection to the Chapel. It is worth speaking to Canon Oakley about this if in doubt. If on the electoral roll, you are married after banns are called here and in your parishes of residence.

Whether you are resident in the parish or not, we hope that the Grosvenor Chapel will become your spiritual home, a place you will return to for Sunday services, special occasions and at special times of the year. To this end, we invite you to join us on Sundays at the 11am Sung Eucharist as part of your preparation for the wedding. This enables you to become familiar with the Chapel, to hear the music and the choir, and to get to know the clergy and congregation. By participating in this way, the Chapel becomes not only a beautiful building, but also a significant and personal place where you can prepare spiritually for this important day in you life. A number of meetings with the priest will also form part of this preparation, so that the celebration of your wedding will be as much according to your wishes and aspirations as possible.

The musical content of the service should then be arranged with the Chapel's Director of Music, Mr Richard Hobson.  The Grosvenor Chapel is a formal, elegant building with a reputation for fine church music in traditional style accompanied by the organ or other 'classical' ensembles.  We hope that those planning wedding services will choose music which reflects this tradition, and we are happy to recommend suitable pieces and assist is any way we can to make the service memorable and satisfying for all.

This is your service and we are here to help you celebrate this sacrament in the best way possible - by planning the shape, form and content of the service; understanding the spiritual and symbolic significance of the words you say and the actions you perform, and of the commitment you are making; creating the right atmosphere through music and liturgy for the celebration of the sacrament. The aim of this process is to make your wedding a profoundly personal, spiritual and emotional experience - a suitable place to declare you love for each other and to celebrate the goodness of God, that you have found each other, and that you now wish to begin a journey of mutual love as a couple together for the rest of your lives.

More information about being married in the Church of England can be found at: http://www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents/weddings

The Church of England does permit the re-marriage of divorcees in certain circumstances. For more information click here.

Practical Information

Fees

Church (including statutory fee) £600
Statutory diocese fee £120
Organist (including fixing fee) £150 (or £300 if any video recording is made)
Professional Choir – 5 singers @ £75 each = £375 (or £150 each, £750 if any video recording is made)
Addional singers and instrumentalists can be arranged if required.  Depending on the numbers an additional fixing fee may be charged.
Verger £65

Please note that the fees may be subject to a small periodic increase. Should an increase occur between the date of your booking and the date of your wedding the new figure will apply. Also, fees are doubled if there is any video recording by you or any of your guests.  Please discuss any possibility of video recordings being made with the Director of Music at your first meeting to avoid misunderstanding. We also ask that you make the position clear to your guests to avoid any difficulty or embarassment on the great day.  All musicians fees are payable in their entirety to the musicians and not to the Chapel.

It is customary for the Chapel's own Director of Music/Organist and choir to sing and play at weddings.  If you wish to use other musicians in addition to, or instead of the Chapel Choir and Organist, please mention this at the time of confirming your wedding, and speak to Richard Hobson as soon as possible. 

A further way to support the chapel
The chapel enjoys business arrangements with all the following wedding-related businesses. Should you decide to use any of these the chapel will earn a small commission. They have all been chosen for their expertise and professionalism.

Flowers

We are delighted to recommend Paul Thomas Flowers in Shepherd's Market.
www.paulthomasflowers.co.uk
info@paulthomasflowers.co.uk
Tel: 0207 355 1876

Should you wish to use your own florist please co-ordinate this with the Chapel Office. Florists normally install the flowers the day before the wedding.

Photographs

We are pleased to recommend John Emmerson Photography,
66 Broadway Market,
London, E8 4QJ
Tel: 0207 254 2082
Mobile: 07792 945822
john@johnemmerson.com
www.johnemmerson.com

If you would like to use your own photographer please ask him/her to liaise with the priest before the service. Flash and noisy photographs are not allowed during the prayers and vows. Making a video of the service will double the musician’s fees, for copyright reasons.

Printing

We recommend Mount Street printers and PIP printing.

Candle-lit Services

If you would like a candle-lit service, night candles can be placed around the church, but must be placed, lit and blown out by the ushers!

Readings at the Wedding

At your wedding there will be an appropriate biblical reading of your choice and, if you would like, another suitable reading from another source. This might be a poem or extract from a book. To explore this further you might like to look at Readings for Weddings by Mark Oakley.

Legal Requirements

By law, weddings must take place between the hours of 9:00 and 18:00.

Rehearsal

A rehearsal is normally held in the Chapel a day or two before the wedding.

Receptions

There are a good number of suitable venues for receptions near to the Chapel and we are happy to inform you of them. Some couples like to hire our attractive rooms and garden patio to serve champagne during photographs in the neighbouring Mount Street Garden before departing for their reception. One of the good local venues for a reception is the Chesterfield Hotel. Another is the Savile Club.

Key Contacts

Associate Priest: Fr Dayton Dewey

Tel 020 7482 1527

Director of Music: Richard Hobson
Tel 01923 718 870  mob:07734 106424     HbsRNH@aol.com

Administrator: Tel/Fax 020 7499 1684 (Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri mornings)

The Grosvenor Chapel,
South Audley Street,
London W1K 2PA

E-mail: info@grosvenorchapel.force9.co.uk
Website: www.grosvenorchapel.org.uk