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Weddings and Events in Chapel

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Chapel Events

FORTHCOMING EVENTS AND SPECIAL SERVICES IN CHAPEL

See this term’s Chapel Card: Chapel Card – Lent Term 2024

 

Weddings

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

In order to be married in Selwyn College Chapel according to the Rites of the Church of England, you must first obtain permission from the College, as well as a Special Licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Licences are normally granted if you are a student, alumna/us, fellow, member of staff, or family member of a fellow or member of staff. Application forms are available from the Dean of Chapel. Enquiries about non-Anglican marriages should be be addressed in the first instance to the Dean of Chapel. Where, for example, a Roman Catholic ceremony is desired, it may be possible to arrange a legal marriage elsewhere, followed by a nuptial mass in the chapel.

DATES

Before setting a date for your wedding, you will need to liaise with the Dean of Chapel (chaplain@sel.cam.ac.uk), and with the Conference and Catering Office (conferences@sel.cam.ac.uk), if you want to have your reception in college as well. It is possible to be married at Selwyn by someone other than the Dean of Chapel (for example, by a former Dean of Chapel, or by your parish priest), but permission should be sought from the present Dean of Chapel first. The priest who will officiate at the wedding will prepare couples for marriage by meeting with them in the months before the wedding.

WEDDING BLESSINGS and RENEWALS OF VOWS

If you wish to have a service for blessing a civil wedding, or for a renewal of wedding vows on a significant anniversary, please contact the Dean of Chapel to discuss the possibilties.

DONATIONS

There is no fee for an alumnus marrying in Selwyn Chapel. Donations are accepted, and can be discussed with the chaplain (chaplain@sel.cam.ac.uk).

SEATING CAPACITY

The chapel seats about 150 people.

FLOWERS

Flower arrangements may be bought in professionally, or, by negotation, can be provided by the chapel flower arrangers. It is normally the case that flowers can be put in place the day before the wedding.

REHEARSAL

It is usual for a rehearsal to take place in chapel in the day or two leading up to the wedding. Please note that musicians are not normally present for wedding rehearsals.

MUSIC

In most cases, the present Selwyn music team (Director of Music, Organ Scholars, Chapel Choir) will provide music for the service. If none of the present music team is available to play for your wedding, the Director of Music will make arrangements for another organist. If you have friends or family members that would like to be involved musically (organists, singers, or instrumentalists) it is normally possible to arrange this, but permission should be sought from the Director of Music before any arrangements are made. It is also not uncommon for former Selwyn students to ask the Organ Scholar with whom they were contemporary to come back to play, and this is usually fine, but again, should be arranged in consultation with the Director of Music.

Having the choir to sing anthems or other appropriate music at the wedding, and to lead the congregational hymns, can be a lovely way to enhance the service. If you would like the choir to be involved, the fees applicable include administration and rehearsal time, as well as singing during the service. If the present Chapel Choir is not available (for example, if your wedding takes place during the vacation), it can sometimes (though not always) be possible to arrange for a small group of local singers (8 to 16 voices) to sing for the wedding. The number of singers required, as well as the total cost per singer, will be determined by the Director of Music once the repertoire has been agreed, and the amount of rehearsal time has been determined. In addition, there will be an administration fee payable to the Director of Music (or other Cambridge-based musician) for fixing and rehearsing the choir. Couples should also bear in mind that if a conductor is required for the service, in addition to an organist, (i.e., if any of the music agreed is accompanied), then an additional fee will be required. Details about the various pieces of music you will need to select, and the current schedule fees can be obtained from the Director of Music (seam100@cam.ac.uk). IMPORTANT NOTE: If the service is either audio or video recorded, fees will be increased as follows, due to the regulations of the Performing Rights Society (PRS): if the service is audio recorded, all fees will be increased by a factor of 1.5; if the service is video recorded, all fees will be doubled. If the service is not recorded, the service is considered a one-off act of worship, and PRS regulations do not apply.