Are Vicars Spoiling Church Weddings?

The short answer is no more than some registrars spoil registrar-led weddings.

A wedding photographer, an ex-journalist, is currently doing the rounds on social media and the newspapers and radio, talking about wanting to "Improve the working conditions for wedding video/photographers in churches"

Before we go any further, I will mention how I use the word "Church".

It's a crucial distinction for me. I'm talking about the incumbent church in the United Kingdom, the Anglican Church. Namely The Church of England (CoE), The Church of Scotland (CoS) and the Church in Wales (CiW). All three have slightly different things going on...just like all three governments had other things going on in Covid!

There is also the Roman Catholic Church, the Baptist Union, Chrisadelphians, Church of Latter-Day Saints, Methodist Church in Britian etc. There are a LOT of Christian denominations. So when we use the word vicar...do we mean all those churches or just the Coe, CiW and CoS ones?

Secondly I'm writing this a person of faith. I attend church (baptised Roman Catholic), although not as regularly as I'd like. I have faith, and I'm not embarrassed by it.

Lastley, I'm not saying that vicars are totally and utterly amazing and allow wedding photographers to go anywhere, do anything, use flash randomly willy nilly...but neither is MY lived experience of some of the issues that have arisen and have been talked about, have been posted on regarding vicars in churches.

I don't recognise the sheer number of issues that has arisen, and pre 2019 church weddings took up about 30-35% of my weddings were church weddings.

I've photographed the weddings of vicars, with more vicars in the congregation than I could count. I've photographed with Bishops officiating the service. All have been incredibly supportive towards me and my job, whilst I have been very respectful of their faith and their duties in carrying out that faith.

So this is MY view on church weddings and wedding photographers.

First off, it's not the working conditions that needs to improve, it's the working relationships.

We are a supplier to a wedding, just like any other supplier and need to act professionally.

When a florist goes into a church and is told, "sorry - you can't pout flowers there" or "you can't hang that flower garland from that rafter" or "please don't use safety pins only woodwork", florists acknowledge it and find a way around it. They don't take to social media and moan about the vicar (or in this case usually members of the Parochial Church Council, PCC, or a Church Warden) and demand better working conditions.

Are Vicars Spoiling Church Weddings - Whats this PCC lark and What's a Church Warden?

If you, like me, have been a member on a PCC and a Church Warden you would understand this issue surrounding the fabric pf the church, the issues surrounding the church's interior and just how much it flipping costs to keep the church's doors open during weekdays.

Legally, church ownership is generally vested in the incumbent and held on trust by the PCC for the parishioners, while the contents are the distinct responsibility of the churchwardens who hold them on trust for the parishioners. However, final control over the church, contents and land rests with the chancellor of the diocese, acting on behalf of the bishop.

So those older people at the back of the church, opening doors etc have a legal responsibility to the church building and the contents. The Church is also not exempt from all the other legislation surrounding buildings, such as Health & Safety.

So as a Church Warden I had a legal obligation for anyone's health & safety, the legal responsibility for the safety of the items in the church, pews, books, benches, flags, ornaments etc. You are damn right I don't want a supplier running freely!

What is an Incumbent Vicar?

This is usually a single vicar in charge of a single church. Due to fewer vicars, it's usually the case now that one vicar can be an incumbent in several churches. Hence the PCC and Church Wardens who look after the day to day church on thier behalf.

And? What's this got to do with weddings and photographers?

Everything.

PCC / Church Wardens

Unlike you, that little old lady or gentleman at the back of the church is doing an unpaid job. They are doing it for the love of the church and the love of the faith they have. They have more than likely been attending the same church for decades. They may well have been married in the church, have had the funeral of a loved one in the church; and that grave is also in the church yard. They feel an intimate connection with keeping the church open at all costs. They are giving up their time, freely, to help the bride and groom have the wedding they want, in a church.

So when I see on the forums about 'interfering old biddies' you can understand not just my frustration but anger. I've seen this happening myself at weddings I've attended, where the videographer attempts to argue, belittle and browbeat the PCC member or Church Warden. The same videographer who meekly says yes when told to stay in one place at a registrar-led wedding. This is why the videographers I recommend respect the church, the faith and what a church wedding is all about; even though at least one of them is an atheist - he gets it & respects it.

Vicars

Vicars are the person in control of the wedding, legally and religiously. They have the exact same legal authority as a registrar does, plus more.

They have to ensure that not only the legal aspects of the wedding are completed, but also that the religious aspects are completed, After all, what is the point in marrying in a church if you are not married in the eyes of God because the vicar was distracted by a fast burst of camera shutter going off in their ear! If you did that to a registrar-led wedding, they would also be conversing about it, and rightly so.

Who cares about the eyes of God you may say? It's the legal stuff that counts! Not if you are getting married in a church, it's not. It's the whole point.

Is a Church A public building?

No. It's owned by the Church body (CoE, CiW etc) and the incumbent vicar has legal responsibility. So it's a private building open to the public just like Tesco's, Asda, Lidl, or Marks and Spencer. And you wouldn't walk around Marks and Spencer randomly taking photographs without the expectation of being asked to stop and leave? Especially if you were creating a nuisance of yourself. More so in fact.

And yet that's precisely what photographers do. Walk randomly around a church, during the service, without recourse to what is happening, without recourse to the noise they may make or where they walk (remember that Health & Safety - old churches can be dangerous, sloping floors, uneven floors, cracking plaster, old pews...the list goes on).

So when a Church Warden or a PCC member asks you, a supplier, to stop doing something...they have a perfect legal right. Admittedly they should communicate politely, but I'm sure you'll agree that if you are caught standing on a chair to take a photograph you deserve telling off!

The issue is the HOW that telling off is delivered. That's the working relationship aspect.

Can I be told to leave a church?

Interesting issue here. The Marriage Act states that a wedding is a public event, so anyone can technically go along (except perhaps to a Royal Wedding!). That same Act also doesn't specify that photography is not allowed. It does state however that the wedding must be conducted with "solemnity and dignity", and I'd suggest that applies even more so in a religious setting. So a vicar or a registrar can stop the service and ask you to stop what you are doing, and also ask you to leave if you behaviour doesn't improve.

Also remember that a church is a private building, and I suppose this may be extreme, but refusing to leave a second time could be a criminal offense.

Are Vicars Spoiling Church Weddings - It Works Both Ways

Many vicars have also been on the receiving end of photographers and videographers wrath, and it's obvious reading the forums and responses to short highly edited videos trying to call out vicars that many photographers and videographers have no respect for the church. "I'm paid to do a job, so I'll do what I want" is common. I know many vicars, socialise occasionally with them even. And yes, we talk over a beer now and again. And yes they have the same horror stories only from their perspective. Rude and aggressive behaviour from photographers/videographers.

Vicars would like the service to start on time - they have a little more leeway timewise than registrars, but they also have other things to do that day. So a wedding photographer faffing around taking loads of photographs at the start of the wedding, outside the church, will annoy them.

For example, they may be officiating at the funeral of one their parishoners, possibly a lifelong friend. They may be going on holiday and have a train or plane to catch, and that extra 5 minutes means the difference between rush hour traffic or a smooth ride.

Perhaps you are wearing loud heels when you walk on that 300yr old floor and the sound echoes around the church just as the vows are being made? Maybe you lean into something thinking it's solid and its not.

Maybe that collection plate you just knocked over, the one that's 150 years old, solid gold that's only brought out for special occasions...and now it's dented.

Perhaps that floor you are walking on is really uneven and you may trip, so you're told not to go that route. But you do anyway, co's of the "I'm being paid" thing. And you fall. And then you are looking to blame the church because you broke a precious camera.

It's A Numbers Game

The last full year of weddings, not affected by Covid, was in 2019 when 219,850 were married, which is a decrease of 6.4% from 2018. Church weddings were 18.7%, again down from 2018 at 21%. So church weddings are following the trend - it's not the attitude of vicars at weddings that' causing the fall.

A little under 42,000 church weddings in 2019 then.

Yet by the ferocity of wedding photographers on forums, every one of those vicars was seemingly a nightmare - which I know to be a lie. So even if we say 50% of vicars (and I highly doubt the number is that high) were in some way more restrictive, that's 21,000 weddings out of nearly 220,000.

But out of 178,738 registrar led weddings nothing similar happened. No registrars telling photographers what to do, where to stand, what to take, to keep the noise down, not to use flash. Really? The numbers there don't add to my lived experience, with registrars being more of a PITA than vicars!

Respect Where It's Due

In my opinion, a religious building deserves more respect, and therefore a religious service deserves more respect. And that's the sole position of many vicars. Two people are making vows to each other, looked over by God. Not to form a contract as in a registrar led wedding, and at the very base that is what a registrar led wedding is.

In short, they have a life like yours and mine. They eat, smoke, drink, and occasionally swear (although I have fond memories of one Irish RC priest in my youth who swore like a trooper when he wasn't on duty!). Just because they have a particular calling to God doesn't absolve them of all the rest of the human emotions.

I often feel that vicars are abused much more than registrars simply because people think they can get away with it. The vicar is a person of God. They won't get angry, and they'll stay calm and collected and accept the abuse. But when they do get angry, when they are human, they are vilified for doing so. No-win situation.

Show The Full Story

The videos mentioned in the petition are highly edited versions of an interaction. Edited to show the vicar in the wrong. I'm a bit of a Doubting Thomas (see the reference?!), and I watch the full video before coming down on one side or another. As I said at the start, I know vicars are human, but I also know photographers can be a PITA as well.

What can be done?

What can vicars do? Invest in Insta360 cameras (they come in white so that they will blend in). These will cover the whole interaction of the wedding, from start to finish. Any interaction with suppliers, the wedding service itself etc. They would be incredible first-person perspective viewpoints for the wedding! And give vicars proof if they are abused by suppliers.

What Suppliers do? Invest in Insta360 cameras (they come in white so that they will blend in). These will cover the whole interaction of the wedding, from start to finish. Any interaction with suppliers, the wedding service itself etc. They would be unique first-person perspective viewpoints for the wedding! And give suppliers proof of abuse by vicars.

With social media becoming so widespread, and one vicar told me last week he was a social media whore, the extra PoV coverage would be fantastic!

Protect Yourself.

Where does a Vicar, Church Warden, or PCC member go when a supplier abuses them? Who do they complain to? What recourse do they have?

Nothing except stricter and stricter rules to keep themselves, and the church wedding, safe. Personally, I'd be fine if all churches of all faiths said all photographers should be at the back of the aisle.

What can a supplier do? Complain to your local Diocese (This is CoE, others are online) about the interaction. That video you have, from the Insta360, will give the evidence required for the issues to be investigated. And they have a legal duty to carry out an investigation. If it's more severe and you are physically abused then take the Insta360 footage to the Police and make the complaint direct to them.

What can a vicar do? Post the full video of the interaction, including the details of the supplier, online. If it's more severe and you are physically abused then take the Insta360 footage to the Police and make the complaint direct to them.

Lastly

Wedding Photographers - if your business is in such dire straits that despite not liking vicars or church weddings you must shoot them to make money, you need a long hard look at yourselves. If you are on the receiving end of multiple "abuses" by different vicars then maybe, just maybe, it's not the vicars at issue here?

Because I know that If I find working in an areas I don't like or bring on too much stress, I'll remove myself from it. And that goes for couples I don't like or get along with. Better to have less money than massive stress levels.

If you are a wedding couple reading this, don't be put off by stories photographers may tell you. Vicars are amazing people, and church weddings are amazing. Drop me a line!