Churches in Wicklow - help?

limerickgal

Hi everyone

My fiance and I have finally chosen our wedding venue - Brook Lodge Hotel in Wicklow. We're delighted. We had initially hoped for Galway but fell in love with Brook Lodge and the staff there who were so helpful.

We are now looking for a church in the area (or at least no more than 30 to 40 minutes from Brook Lodge) and would love if someone could make a suggestion. We will have approximately 80 people at the wedding so something small would be ideal.

There is one other issue I hope you can help with! I rang one church recommended by the venue and was informed that the cost was €500. This is, from what I can see, for the use of the church for approximately one hour. No priest, servers, flowers, organist, nothing. We have to supply our own priest and I was told that the money goes to the general upkeep of the church. To me, this sounds completely ludicrous! By my very crude maths, if there were 10 weddings at this church in a month (which is entirely possible), this is €5,000. Surely my wedding won't cost the church €500 for some lighting and heating?

Perhaps I'm being really naive here but it is my first time getting married and maybe this is the going rate for churches?

Thanks!

RentDayBlues

Unfortunately if you are getting married out of your own parish you pay! We're paying €500 for church only, but then again we knew that before we asked to book it

BC

I've seen prices of up to 1000 euro.
Its normal to have to pay if you want to use a church that isn't your parish one.

Bookkeeper09

Would you consider a civil ceremony in the hotel??

limerickgal

Hi there, thanks for the replies! I feel better now that it wasn't just this particular church.

Re: the civil ceremony, we thought about that but to be honest, I think I'd rather have it in the church. Thanks for the suggestion though!

orls78

Hi,
Churches nearest are Aughrim and Annacurra. I thought they had built a church like building up there which can hold a civil service??
A little further away would be Rathdrum, Clara Vale or Greenane. Both Clara Vale and Greenane part of rathdrum parish but both small churches.
I'm getting married in Laragh which may be bit too far away but they charge €300. But I think you have to arrange your own priest.

Hope some of this helps!

antiskeptic

http://www.sandyfordparish.org/images/kilternanch.jpg

Our Lady by the Wayside - Kilternan.

It's near Enniskerry -which might be close enough to your reception. Quaint...and the right size for your party .. without being too small.

cch

antiskeptic wrote: »

Our Lady by the Wayside - Kilternan

mariank wrote: »

What about the little blue wooden Church in Enniskerry

Same church!! And about an hour's drive away from the reception venue...

Borderfox

Lovely small church in Roundwood, shouldnt be too far off the n11. Shot a wedding there about a month ago.

Heres a shot of it

sweetie

have been at two weddings in annacurra and it is a lovely little church

jagerboy

We too have picked the Brook Lodge for our wedding. She didn't like the church in Aughrim, so we did a church crawl and decided on Avoca church. They're charging us 300 sheets for the use of the church. Hope your day goes great and BL are good to you!

Toots

The one downside to the little blue church is that it's really really popular for weddings. Depending on the time of year you want, the waiting list can be very long.