Marriage Preparation Day

On this Saturday we held a Marriage Preparation Day for couples who have booked to be married at St Mary's in 2004. Altogether 18 couples came.

Here is a brief resumé of the Programme for the day.

10:00	Arrive & Coffee

10:15	Welcome & outline of programme
	Introduce clergy to all

10:30	couples & clergy meet together
	- introduce each other etc!
	Why a church wedding?

11:00	Promises & Commitment
	- excerpts from DVD of a wedding at St Mary's last year
	Introduction of a married couple (this year Wendy & David Price) to discuss commitment, overcoming difficulties, growing in a relationship, children, work, finance tensions, etc.

12:00	"Mr & Mrs" - How well do you know each other?
	An initially light-hearted approach to introduce in-depth questions for the couple to ask themselves later at home.
	Time for questons and discussion

12:30	lunch with wine

13:15- 14:00	Practical details about the Service

14:30	Meet in St Mary's
	Introduction to the layout of the church building
	Looking at the Registers
	Talk - what to do about Flowers
	Choosing the music - meet the Director of Music
	Listening to excerpts of music from the organ

15:15	Short Service to ask God's blessing on all that we have talked about
	Couples then arrange with the priest their next individual meeting and depart.