BAPTISMS, WEDDINGS & FUNERALS
Baptisms
At St Peter's we offer two ways of celebrating the arrival of a new baby in the Church: Thanksgiving or Baptism.
Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving service (also known as a Dedication service) is a special act of worship and celebration where we give thanks for your child and pray for them.
Baptism
Bringing your child for baptism means that you wish them to be part of God's family and will help them take their part in the life and worship of the Church. You make promises for yourself and on behalf of your child. Baptism marks the start of a journey of faith for your child in which they will grow in knowledge and experience, learning to turn away from the wrong and turn towards Christ.
More information on Baptism can be found on the Church of England website.
To find out more about both Thanksgiving or Baptism, please contact Val (our Administrator), see us after a Sunday morning service, or come to First Steps on a Thursday morning. Someone from St Peter's will then explain more about the two options and help you choose which is right for your child.
Weddings
At St. Peter’s we love to welcome couples who would like to get married here. You are invited to come to one of our Sunday services and our Administrator, Val Lynam, will be able to discuss your plans with you after the service.
yourchurchwedding.org.uk is a useful website specially for people planning church weddings. Below we have tried to answer some of the most common questions.
Who can get married in St Peter’s?
Until recently you had to live in the parish or get a special license from the Archbishop in order to get married here. Now, even if you live outside of the Brackley parish you can be married here, if you have a significant connection to the church - see the list below.
You may marry here if one of you:
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has at any time lived in the parish for a period of at least 6 months or
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was baptised in the parish or
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was prepared for confirmation in the parish or
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has at any time regularly gone to normal church services at St Peter’s for a period of at least six months or
That one of your parents, at any time after you were born:
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has lived in the parish for a period of at least six months or
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has regularly gone to normal church services at St Peter’s for a period of at least 6 months or
That one of your parents or grandparents:
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was married in the parish
Even if you cannot demonstrate any of the above connections, it may still be possible for you to get married here. Please contact Val, our Administrator, to find out more.
For former students of Magdalen College School, there is also the option to get married in the College Chapel.
How much will it cost?
Exact figures will be sent to you at the beginning of the year in which you are getting married. As set by the Church of England, the wedding fee for 2023 (which can be viewed here) is £564. Roughly half of this goes to the church and half to the diocese. To understand more about wedding costs please read of the Church of England's information.
The organist’s standard fee, which is in addition to the above, is £150. You can choose the type of music you want with our organist, from traditional to modern. For details, ask Val, our Administrator.
Bell ringers are also available at additional cost. More details can be found here.
Meeting the Vicar
About three months before your wedding, the Vicar will contact you to get to know you and to make arrangements for the wedding service. You will probably have one or two meetings with the Vicar, as well as a rehearsal a few days before the big day.
Banns of Marriage
The Administrator will give you the dates when your Banns will be read. Couples usually like to attend the service to hear their Banns read aloud.
Flowers
If you would like the church to be decorated for the wedding you can get a florist to do the flowers, but we ask you let us know if you will be leaving any of them in the church.
Wedding preparation morning
Each year the church arranges a morning for those planning to get married at St Peter’s during that year. It is an informal and enjoyable time to spend with your partner and others, finding out about yourselves and what the service will be like.
Funerals
When we lose someone we love it is important that we mark the end of their life on earth in an appropriate way. Family and friends often wish to gather to give thanks and to support one another in their grief. Even if someone has not been a regular church attender they are welcome to have a funeral in church. We welcome anyone to have a church service before burial or cremation if they would like to do so. St Peter's clergy are also happy to conduct funerals at the crematorium.
St Peter’s clergy regard the taking of funerals as an important part of what they do. They visit families to hear about the person they have lost and to provide comfort in their grief. They work with the family to put together a service that is appropriate for the person concerned. The first step in arranging a funeral is usually to contact the funeral director who will phone the Vicar to check availability.
Bereavement support
We hold an annual memorial service at All Souls (end October / early November) for anyone wanting to remember someone they love.
Memorial book
In the south aisle of the church there is a memorial book in which we enter the names of those who have had funerals at St Peter's or whose funerals have been taken by our clergy.