Biodegradable confetti
Me to You White & Pastel Pink Heart Shaped Biodegradable Wedding Day Confetti - Official Collection
Many churches and venues only allow natural or biodegradable confetti. Check first.
View on AmazonChurch weddings near Rock
The parish of St Minver, which takes in Rock, Trebetherick and Polzeath, has some of the most memorable small churches in Cornwall. Across the estuary, Padstow has its own large parish church. Here is an introduction to each, and how a Church of England wedding is arranged.
St Enodoc Church
St Enodoc is the church most people have heard of. It is a tiny medieval chapel with a short, slightly crooked spire, sitting in a hollow of the dunes in the middle of St Enodoc golf course, between Rock and Daymer Bay. For centuries windblown sand buried it almost to the roof, and it was dug out and restored in the nineteenth century. The poet Sir John Betjeman, who spent childhood holidays in Trebetherick and loved this coast, is buried in the churchyard.
Practical points: the church is small, so it suits an intimate wedding. There is no road to the door. You reach it on foot along paths across the golf course, so think about shoes, the dress, the weather and any guests who find walking difficult.
St Michael's Church, Porthilly
St Michael's stands right on the shore of the estuary at Porthilly, just upriver from Rock, with the water almost lapping at the churchyard wall at high tide. It is small, old and very peaceful, with views across to Padstow and up the Camel. Check the tide table: the setting changes completely between high and low water.
St Minver Parish Church
The parish church in the village of St Minver, a couple of miles inland from Rock, is dedicated to St Menefrida and has a tall spire that can be seen across the surrounding fields. It is the largest of the three St Minver churches and suits a bigger congregation, with the village and country lanes around it.
St Petroc's Church, Padstow
On the hill above Padstow harbour, St Petroc's is a large medieval church in a leafy churchyard. It is a natural choice for couples whose reception is in Padstow, or who want room for a larger congregation.
How a Church of England wedding works
- A connection to the parish. You can marry in your parish church if one of you lives in the parish. If you don't, you may still qualify through a family connection, for example if you or a parent were baptised or confirmed there, lived there for six months, or regularly worshipped there, or if a parent or grandparent married there. The vicar can tell you whether you qualify.
- Banns. Usually your banns are read in church on three Sundays during the three months before the wedding, in the parish where the wedding takes place and in the parish where each of you lives. In some cases a common licence is used instead.
- No separate register-office notice is usually needed for a Church of England wedding when both of you are UK or Irish citizens. Other situations have extra steps, so ask the parish.
- Talk to the parish early. Popular churches book up, and the parish will tell you its rules on photography during the service, flowers, music and confetti.
For other denominations and faiths, and for civil and celebrant-led ceremonies, see getting married legally in Cornwall.
For a church wedding
Umbrellas
Clear Transparent Dome Umbrella with Black Border, Windproof Full Coverage Clear Canopy Rain Umbrella for Wom…
Clear domes keep faces visible in photos when a shower rolls in off the Atlantic.
View on Amazon
Emergency kit
Emergency Kit for Women – Mini Emergency Kit with Over 50 Bridal Wardrobe Essentials, Essential Handbag Kit, …
Safety pins, plasters, a sewing kit and a stain pen. Give it to one sensible person.
View on AmazonAffiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We don't sell anything ourselves.