Alternatives to Church Weddings
Written by Rev. James Pedwell

Over the last few years, more couples are choosing to have their wedding service held outside of a church. Some places for services include backyards, parks, boats, cottages, halls and banqueting facilities to name a few. In this day and age more people are seeking to get married not in a church but in another environment. Some reasons for this change, speculated about are:

1) Many couple are preferring a place that is special and unique to them and not a church that they may not have attended on a regular basis and will most likely attend again.

2) Another factor is that young people are questioning the role of the Church in their lives; their spirituality is not confined to the church, yet transcends it.

3) Cost factors in the church has affected a couple to budget their occasion to a more cost effective location. Many churches insist on the use of their janitor for clean up, use of their pianist/organist, rent of property, etc. It makes more sense to better use the hall rented for the reception, for the wedding as well.

4) Many couples are choosing to have smaller and less formal weddings because of cost and choice.

5) Unique preferences and tastes dictate something contrary to the service offered by the church.

6) Couples demand flexibility and the ability to personalize their service. In other words choosing a service customized to fit their own personality and not a service read from a book.

7) There is an increase in second marriages, after a prior relationship ending in divorce couples are reluctant to repeat their first wedding ceremony.

8) The option has to offer in terms of blending differing views, faiths, and even religions.

These and many more reasons are why more weddings are conducted outside of a church.