Planning and preparing for your marriage at St Peter’s Hamilton
We are delighted that you are considering getting married at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Hamilton, a centre of the parish of Christ Church Cathedral. St Peter’s Hamilton is a beautiful and intimate setting for this particularly important occasion in your life.
The decisions, promises and commitment you will make will be binding upon you for life, and in coming to the church for marriage, you are asking God to be part of your marriage.
Be assured of the church’s prayers for you as you make your preparations. As part of those preparations we encourage you to join us regularly for worship. You are most welcome at any of our services. Please check our Facebook Page and Website for service times and updates to service times.
If you would like to be married at St Peter’s Hamilton, please contact the Parish Office on 02 4929 2052 or email to check whether your proposed day and time are available to book.
You will be invited to a marriage preparation and planning meeting several months prior to the date of your wedding ceremony. Our marriage preparation meetings are intended to be a relaxed and informal conversation between you and the priest who will both prepare you for your marriage and who will most likely be the celebrant at your wedding. At your first meeting, you will be asked to sign the Notice of Intended Marriage (Form 13) and start to plan the service with the priest. The priest can assist you with suggestions about readings and music and can also advise you on the parish policy relating to photography and videorecording. The earliest date that you can lodge Form 13 is 18 months before the wedding date, although we are happy for you to book and secure a date up to 2 years in advance.
What the Church requires
At least one of you is required to be baptised. Of course, if either or both of you have not been baptised, you can talk to the priest about the process of preparation for baptism and adult baptism in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle.
Legal Requirements
All official documentation is arranged by the priest who will celebrate your marriage. You will however need to apply to the Office of Births Deaths and Marriages for your Registered Marriage Certificate after your wedding ceremony has taken place. You will also need to produce your original birth certificates at your planning meeting so the priest can verify.
Fees
A non-refundable deposit of $300.00 is required to secure your requested date and time for your wedding.
St Peter’s Hamilton Basic Wedding Package Donation/Fee is $1100.00. *
The St Peter’s Hamilton Wedding Package includes the preparation of documents, the preparation of the building by the verger, the celebrant, the Organist, the flowers, and the ringing of the bells. Flowers remain at the Church for the week’s services… for which we are most grateful to our wedding couples for this donation to our worship gatherings.
There will be additional charges if you choose to have a choir, extra flowers or personalised Orders of Service for your wedding. Orders of Service cost $2.50 per copy for a simple folded ‘glossy’ card and contain details of the wedding party, entry & exit music, prayers & readings.
In the months prior to your wedding you will be sent a tax invoice. This must be paid prior to your wedding.
*Wedding fees are reviewed annually and are subject to change for future years.
Relationship Enrichment
Couples married at St Peter’s are encouraged to participate in Prepare, a relationship enrichment program. Prepareis non-intrusive program and the time commitment involved is small. The cost is included in the package fee for wedding bookings.