St Luke's turns out en masse to celebrate with two of its own
It's not so very often these days that a parish church gets to celebrate the marriage of two of its own members.
Not so many of us grow up and stay in the same place as was once the case, and often this means choosing between "her church" or "his church" for the wedding. But Helen Smith has been a member of St Luke's for a couple of years now, and Peter Warry for a couple of decades - so St Luke's was the right and proper place for them to marry. It's where they met, after all!
Helen and Peter were keen to involve as many elements of the life of St Luke's as possible, and a few of them can be glimpsed through this report. You can click on any of the pictures on this page to open a larger version in a new window, and you're welcome to save or print these if you wish.
Read on!
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Suspense: Peter waits!
Helen's arrival at church was nearly early - but the limousine driver's helpful suggestion of a turn around the block led her and her father Richard firstly into a traffic jam, and then into a lengthy wait at the level crossing on Bootham Stray!
A phone call to one of the ushers at St Luke's reassured all parties, and then Helen and Richard enjoyed a few brief and special minutes of calm in plush surroundings. Meanwhile in church, Best Man Mark Comer kept Peter calm (and, more to the point, inside the building) while Bridesmaid Rachael Parsons, Acolytes, Thurifer, Crucifer, Choristers and Clergy marked time amid mounting excitement.
And then the Bentley swept up the Lane, and Helen and her father arrived to sound of Handel's "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba".
A welcome from St Luke's Vicar Steve Benford to all present, including Archdeacon of York the Venerable Richard Seed who was to preside at the service, led straight into a rousing rendition of "Thine be the Glory, Risen Conquering Son" - and perhaps now, standing beside Helen, Peter's knees stopped knocking.
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The marriage: a service of prayer and song
Richard Seed spoke of the gifts Helen and Peter have brought to St Luke's and now to each other; of their commitment to their marriage and the support they can expect to give and to receive from their church family.
Almost before we knew it, vows were exchanged and Helen and Peter were man and wife. Cameras don't belong at such moments of commitment and prayer, and so we re-join the service as the visiting choir of Helen's singing associates sang 'The Father's Love' by Lole, and 'Ubi Caritas' (Where charity and love are, there is God) by Durufle.
At this point, with a vigorous singing of "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation", the service moved on to a celebration of the Eucharist, and Helen and Peter moved forward to the communion rail.
No St Luke's Eucharist would be complete without contributions from our own junior Choir, and Peter briefly abandoned Helen at the Altar (fear not - they were already married by this time) to accompany the choir on his guitar as so many times before. Alison Morse is barely visible behind Peter's music stand in the picture, but her keyboard contribution completed this classic St Luke's Combo!
After Communion, there was a last blessing for Helen and Peter before we joined in the evergreen 'Love Divine, All Loves Excelling', and the day's work was done (for some!)
Notice in the pictures the magnificent flower arrangements all over the church, prepared by Lesley Wilkinson and her sister Kathryn during the day on Friday. Out of sight on Friday evening, the junior choir had been given their standing orders for the day in no uncertain terms by Alison, Lynn and indeed Peter, and for those who know the choir, the evidence of that piece of work was also clear to see! The smooth running of the wedding service was a real credit to many, many people, and gave glory to the God who brought all of us together in the first place.
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The rest of the first day of the rest of their lives...
Amazingly, the weather had turned from rain to sunshine during the service, and Helen and Peter emerged for a set of bright, dry, outdoor photos!
More behind-the-scenes hard work came into its own as the two families were repeatedly snapped in front of well-tended flower beds, and the younger members of the throng made major inroads into the superb catering provisions in the church hall, provided by the augmented home team of Marjorie Sharp, Simon Usher and Mark Reilly.
Every combination of family, Bridesmaid and Best Man was tastefully arranged, but by the time confetti came into play your photographer was looking the other way!
The scene shifted later to the Ramada Jarvis Hotel on the edge of York, where Helen and Peter greeted their guests for a magnificent meal with entertainment afterwards by the Szczepek Ensemble, with whom several of Helen's friends sing. Speeches were made and toasts were drunk, but a special mention is due to the Best Man, Mark Comer, for singing his speech as a version of the Nightmare Song from Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe!
To end with, here's a small selection of pictures from the reception...
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