Stunning, unique and affordable heritage church wedding venue in Remuera

St Aidan's Church Remuera provides the most beautiful setting for your big day. When you walk down the aisle, you will feel a sense of peace and serenity under our arched wooden beams and colourful stained glass.  It is a truly special space which will make your wedding ceremony memorable and picture perfect.

We know planning your wedding and choosing your venue is a big task, so we've done everything we can to provide you with all the information you need to choose and book with us.  If you can't find the answer to your questions below, message us and we're happy to help.

Pricing:

The cost of a wedding at St Aidan's is $1,250. This includes a total of six (6) hours using the church (4.5 hours for decorating and ceremony on the day, and 1.5 hours rehearsal time). Also included in the total cost are the administrative costs including a Front of House Manager. The booking/admin fee is mandatory and non-refundable.  When you book the wedding, you will choose a minimum of 4.5 hours ($900) for your wedding day and the booking/admin fee of $350 will be added. If you want the church for longer that six hours you're welcome to book additional time at $200 per hour extra.

What's included in the $1,250 package?

• A 1.5 hour rehearsal in the church, to be scheduled separately

• Administrator’s time spent with you in planning your service

• Use of the church for 4.5 hours on the day of your wedding, with the option to pay for extra time @ $200 per hour

• Use of our Gathering Area (foyer) for your guests before and after the ceremony

• Use of audio-visual equipment

• A duty “Front of House Manager” (Verger) to operate this equipment.

What's not included?

• Organist fees

• Special flowers

• Filming of your wedding by us

• The use of our Minister

• Hall hire for a reception

Minister & Ceremony

One of St Aidan’s clergy will be pleased to officiate at your wedding. You may have a personal link with one of our clergy and therefore you can ask for that person to take your wedding. Other Anglican clergy can also be invited to officiate. The use of our clergy to prepare and officiate your ceremony is an additional cost, which we can discuss before you book. It is also possible to request that a minister or priest from another denomination lead your service. For this to occur, that minister must contact the vicar at St Aidan’s to obtain their agreement before your booking is confirmed. However, it does have to be a Christian ceremony in our church space.

Capacity

St Aidan’s Church has a total seating capacity of between 245-300 people, depending how intimate you are happy for your guests to be. It is also possible to have the wedding ceremony displayed on the TV screen in the Gathering Area (foyer) via video link allowing for approx. 50 additional guests to be accommodated.

Wedding Reception

It is possible to book our beautiful Hall & Kitchen, subject to availability, for continuing your celebrations after the ceremony. This is $35 an hour and you can find all the details and book online by selecting 'View Hosts Other Spaces' above.

Music and Audio Visual Facilities

St. Aidan’s has sound and iPod/CD facilities which are available as part of your fee. If you are using several recorded music tracks, we ask you to put them all on one device. You’re also welcome to involve someone singing or contributing musically. While we can provide some microphones. St Aidan's Front of House Manager can show them where to connect to our sound system, however they are expected to bring their own musical equipment.

We can show a PowerPoint visual presentation during your wedding service. Any PowerPoint presentation will need to be prepared and brought to your rehearsal to ensure it is working correctly. Please note our visual display facilities can only operate Microsoft equipment and software and only the Front of House Manager is permitted to run the devices on the sound system desk.

Photography and Filming

You are welcome to have photos taken during your wedding service in the Church and afterwards in St Aidan’s grounds, and also to have your wedding filmed. On the day of your wedding St Aidan's Front of House Manager can show your photographer/camera operator where to plug in equipment if required.

Flowers & decorations

Except during Lent (the six weeks leading up to Easter), St Aidan’s has two large floral arrangements at the front of the church on each side of the Cross, and one arrangement in the foyer, which will be available for your wedding. These are silk floral arrangements which will already be in place and cannot be changed, however if you tell us your wedding colours at least one the month preceeding your booking our flower roster volunteers can incorporate those colours into these arrangements.

You are also welcome to have an independent florist do your wedding flowers. These must be taken away at the conclusion of your wedding service.

You may decorate the church ahead of your ceremony, either at the rehearsal if this is held the evening before, or as part of your time allocation on the day of the ceremony. Please note St Aidan’s cannot guarantee you will be able to leave your decorations in situ until the time of your wedding service, however we will tell you ahead of time if this is not possible.

If you wish to attach anything on the end of the pews these must be something which can be tied or hung over the top, they cannot attach in any other way. All decorations must be removed at the completion of your ceremony, so please ensure you allow enough time in your booking to do so.

No confetti, rice, petals or helium balloons are allowed in any of St Aidan's buildings or grounds.

How the Rehearsal works

The priest will arrange a rehearsal with you, usually the day before your wedding. If you are being married by another minister, a booking for your wedding rehearsal must be made through our parish office. The rehearsal is usually held on the evening before your wedding of up to one and a half hours, allowing for all those involved to be present. It also gives you time to arrange for another team to put up any decorations you may want for your wedding day.

Marriage Preparation

Taking time out to reflect on your relationship is a vital part of preparing for marriage, so we ask all couples who are getting married at St Aidan’s to participate in marriage preparation sessions.

At the initial meeting with our priest, some marriage preparation sessions will also be scheduled. Please come expecting to explore the way your relationship works now and your hopes for the future. We shall listen to your experiences and help you evaluate these. We see that love is a part of who God is, so any exploration of love is an exploration of God.

If you are being married by a minister or priest from another denomination, our clergy will ask him or her to ensure that these sessions take place.

If you are being married by one of our clergy, in addition to the marriage preparation sessions, the priest will also meet with you to discuss the details of your wedding ceremony. You will be offered suggestions from our experience in conducting services of Christian marriage as we work with you to ensure your special day is happy and meaningful.

The Marriage Service

St Aidan’s is a church which follows the Anglican tradition. There are three orders of service in our Prayer Book as well as some flexibility in creating services. You are encouraged to read through the services as part of deciding the content of your service. A Bible reading is included as part of the service and you may also choose readings from other sources. A family member or friend may do these readings. If you want to print the order of service, which should include any hymns or songs to be sung, please discuss the draft copy with the priest taking your wedding before having it printed.

The Wedding Day

On the day of the wedding, it is recommended that the groom and his party arrive at the church about thirty minutes before the service starts. The Front of House Manager will open the church one hour prior to the scheduled service start time, and lock it after the service. The church should be completely vacated by the time agreed with the parish office, with all items belonging to the wedding party removed and the church left in the clean state it was prior to your use.

Ushers

Please ask your ushers to assist in the following ways:

• Arrive at least thirty minutes before the service

• Welcome your family and friends and hand guests any printed material relating to the service

• Guide and encourage guests to sit in seats near the front of the church, but also allowing seating for the immediate family. Reserved signs are available to assist with this

• Collect any written material left in the pews after the service

Marriage Licence

You must obtain a marriage licence. The form can be downloaded from www.dia.govt.nz or a hard copy collected from The Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM). The form must be presented in person at a BDM office. The licence is valid for three months and it is advisable to do this at least two months before your wedding. Details of office locations are in the phone book, or online at www.bdm.govt.nz

You need to give the Registrar the full name of the person taking your wedding. Other details include the exact street address of the church you will be married in, which is:

St Aidan’s Anglican Church, 5 Ascot Avenue, Remuera, Auckland 1050

The licence needs to be at our parish office at least two weeks before your wedding. Remember, without a licence and pre-paid fees, there can be no wedding!