Costing more to marry and die
The cost of getting married has increased rapidly over the years but it is soon to get even more expensive, as is dying!
The General Synod of the Church of England has said that, from next year, the cost of a wedding ceremony in a C of E church will go up from 296 to 415 in a bid to standardise costs while funeral service fees also go up, from 102 to 160.
The fees have caused some controversy within the Synod with some feeling it wrong to try and get more money out of people during these uncertain economic times. They say it sends the wrong message and could even act as a deterrent to those intending to commit themselves to marriage.
Could this news mean that more people will opt for a registry office wedding than a church, or even forgo marriage altogether? When the cost of a registry office do is closer to 100 than over 400, maybe so. The Rt Rev John Packer, the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds justified the increases, saying they would bring the price closer to the reality of the costs and said there had been confusion caused by different parishes charging different prices.