Is this the Wedding Business?

One weekend in 2003 I asked not one, but two women to marry me.  They both said yes...

I was leafing through a wedding directory the other day.  As an internationally published photographer who has done more than a few weddings, I think it's important I keep an eye on the market.  Something got me a little annoyed...

Not too far from where I live, there's a former country house that is set up as a wedding venue.  The former family chapel is lovely.   The grounds are very picturesque, with a variety of locations that will keep the photographer happy, and the venue will feed you, give you a massive reception room, and put you up for the night as well.  Their business is weddings, they aren't cheap, but they are clearly focused on their core business.

So what's the business of a church?  What's out mission statement?  "To proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ" says a church in England.  That seems like a good start.

What got me annoyed was an advert in the wedding directory for a church seeking to drum up business as a destination for your wedding day.  The advert invites you to use this particular church to have your wedding  in an old building, surrounded by history.  According to the advert, apparently it's a special place.  What makes it more special than the country house mentioned up the page?  Can there be any one thing that makes a church different from the family chapel in the hotel up the page?

There is nothing at all in this advert that says it's a Christian church, or to which denomination it belongs.  No God, no nothing.  It might as well be the back room of the local pub.  This is a church.  The one thing that makes it special is that the ceremony will be conducted by an ordained minister, in the presence of God.  I'm looking at the wedding section book of Common Order and it would be impossible to remove God from the wedding order without ripping the whole wedding ceremony apart.  And while I want to help welcome everyone into God's kingdom, if you are only getting married in a church because it's got a long aisle, or it's somewhere to be seen, and if you really don't believe in the God part, then fine, go to the hotel.  If you aren't going to say "I do" with sincerity to the whole vow, then I think you've invalidated your wedding vows before you've even cut the cake.

In their sales pitch, by leaving out any mention of the Christian body that they form part of, I believe this church has sold themselves out.  They might as well take down the cross and market themselves as a picturesque wedding venue.

And another thing.  If you do want to market yourselves, then at the very least you need a contact email address that looks a bit professional and is attached to the business, such as enquiries @ countrychurch dotcom.  Never use a personal email address belonging to one of your congregation. Create even a simple website. And hire a designer to do your adverts - it makes a big difference.  If you want to compete in the wedding market, you need to be at the top of your game.  You look live you've thrown together an advert in a desperate pitch for cash.

We are not in the wedding business.  We should not be trawling for trade. We are God's church that is blessed when a couple decide to have God at the centre of their special day.