Church and music school answer top questions on wedding music and money

The Church of England has teamed up with the Royal School of Church Music to answer the most frequently asked questions when it comes to wedding music and money.

The answers are offered on a new video by RSCM director Lindsay Gray and address questions such as why couples may pay double for an organist if a wedding is filmed.

Organists in the UK charge anything between £50 and £150 but some organists' contracts carry an uplift in the fee of 100% if the wedding is filmed. The surcharge is thought to originate in compensating the organist for the pressure of having a camera in church.

Mr Gray said the days were gone where filming a wedding in church was the privilege of the royal family.

"I accept that times have changed since the early days when if someone appeared with a video camera in the church it was a rarity," he said.

"Nowadays anyone can come along with a mobile phone and take a few pictures.

“We don’t make hard and fast rules on this at the RSCM and there is certainly no RSCM requirement that the organist’s fee is automatically doubled when the ceremony is recorded on video.

"It comes down to the contract between the organist and the church. Nowadays there is an argument for having some sort of flat fee whether the service is videoed or not.”

The Rt Rev James Langstaff is heading up the Church of England’s current review of fees for weddings and funerals.

In a training video for the Weddings Project, said it was fair that people wanted to know what it was they were paying for.

He welcomed transparency from the RSCM and Church of England on the costs related to wedding music.

“That’s because when we are transparent on these things, we are fair to the couples we’re so pleased to serve on their wedding day.”

The organisations hope the information will encourage more people to have a church wedding.

The RSCM is re-launching its wedding section next month with an emphasis on the beauty and meaning that music gives to the marriage service.

Mr Gray said: "When couples feel free to choose music that is meaningful to them, we know that it makes their day more special. For most organists and directors of music, making this happen is an enjoyable and satisfying part of their work."

The video has been made available at www.yourchurchwedding.org/project