Fees – feeling ripped off

Sorry to hear that you're having this trouble so close to your wedding.

Is there any chance that the £100 difference is actually a mistake? Could you give them a ring or email to ask?

I spoke to our reverend yesterday and he told me to budget £600 for our wedding next year so to me that does seem high, but ours doesn't include a choir.

I hope you can sort something out.

That does suck.

I'd be having a word with them. say you were given no notice fees could increase and you haven't budgeted for it and therefore can't afford it. I would ask them to honour their existing fees. I imagine they have some discretion with this, but stand to be corrected....

Thanks ladies, I hadn't thought of that.... I think I will phone them incase there's been some sort of mistake! Wow I really hope there has been! Even with the original fees it was costing us more to marry in church than it would have been to just do the whole thing with a civil ceremony at our reception venue. That was hard enough to take but now this ☹️ feels like such a kick in the teeth for trying to be good and do things right ☹️

Not that civil wedding isn't good or the wrong way!!!! That came out totally wrong! Just feels good and right to us personally I mean ? xxx

Are you able to bring this up with the rector and query the price difference? £111 is a lot of difference!

is c of e more expensive than c o wales? when we got wed in 2011 all I paid was £20 for the organist, £140 for the church and 2 x £35 for the banns ( different parishes)

Cheaper than my church!! Mine was £850 just for the service and organist, was an extra £280 for bells!! But we didn't want to get married anywhere else.

When I booked the church they gave me the prices for that year, and said it would increase every January. The final price was a fair bit higher than the initial quote. When you enquired initially did they say prices subject to change?

c of e churches have to charge the minimum fees, but can then charge what they like on top.

When you ring if they say 'no you have to pay the 2014 fee' I think you should request to pay the additional £100 a month later as you hadn't budgeted for it, and quite simply don't have it yet. I don't think they can say no to that.

I would hope this is an error. Really can't imagine the Church of England put their fees up by over £100. But going from £406 to £417 would sound reasonable.

Hi we got shown the CoE 2013 fees, and also shown what they were going up to for 2014 when we booked (as it was nearly 2014 by then anyway). The church did go up to £417 from about £406. I think it's just a typo.

I don't think it's a mistake because they say in the email to you about "finding the prices a bit higher than what the rector gave you". Sorry, but it seems definite. I would give them a ring and ask if you can pay the remaining £100 after the wedding and that you budgeted based on the other figures. Let's not forget that it's a church - they are treating you very much like a customer rather than a parishioner! I wouldn't worry, I'm sure you can come to some agreement. It is very wrong of them though. We are getting married in a Catholic Church and ours is something like £35!

BLIMEY WHAT HAPPENED TO HONERING THE PRICES ! YOU HAD BOOKED AT THE TIME IT WAS LESS SO THEY SHOULD KEEP TO THAT ! ID BE ANNOYED TOO

Seeing the fees Jonty has quoted, I would respond along the lines of, you know CofE fees gave gone up £11 this year, and that's fine, but you are wondering about the other £100 increase. The church are a bit more tied to charge set fees but if they have made the extra increase themselves that seems unfair. Hopefully they will respond it us a mistake, especially as the rector didn't contact you directly.