Wedding and funeral fees to rise

Fees for church weddings are to rise by 40 per cent and the cost of a funeral service by more than half.

Members of the Church of England voted to increase the cost of a wedding from £296 to £415 from January next year.

The cost of a funeral service in church will also increase, from £102 to £160, a 57 per cent rise.

The new fees include the costs of lighting and administration for the first time but do not take into account other charges such as heating, vergers and services such as organists and bellringers.

The price rises come in spite of warnings from some members of the General Synod that poorer couples could be priced out of a Church of England wedding.