Book the Clerkes to sing at your wedding anywhere in Yorkshire
“Please can I take this opportunity to thank you and your wonderful choir (plus James the organist of course) for the most wonderful singing and music at our wedding. We have received so many compliments about the music during our ceremony and you really worked hard to make it extra special for us, thank you. We consider ourselves very fortunate that you were visiting Gloucester Cathedral on the dates of our wedding!”
Years of experience
Our singers have experience of many different styles of music, and have performed in many different settings, from tiny parish churches to cathedrals and concert halls.
We sing at about eight weddings each year, and we are in high demand, so we welcome early enquiries.
“I just wanted to take the time to thank you all for an exceptional performance at our wedding. We absolutely loved the singing (you could probably tell by my face) and it really made the service very special. We just wish we could do it again!! Many guests commented on the choir and how good you were.”
A personalised service
We'll take the time to discuss your requirements with you in detail, so you can specify exactly what you'd like from us. We'll also work closely with the organist and any other musicians at your chosen church.
If you'd like something really unique, we can create a new choral arrangement of your favourite song, or you can commission an entirely new piece of music from one of our resident composers.
“On behalf of myself and my husband, we would just like to thank you and the choir for the wonderful arrangements in our wedding service. The guests loved it and I am so glad we had it videoed so that we can watch it again and again.”
What we sing
We will help you to craft a perfect selection of repertoire for your ceremony. We have a wide selection of standard wedding repertoire from which you are welcome to choose, but we are also happy to learn something new if you have a particular piece in mind. While most of what we sing is originally written for choir, it is not unusual for us to prepare other pieces (for example, a favourite rock song that might be particularly special to you). We will usually have to charge a small additional fee to cover the cost of this, but don't worry, we'll always agree this with you up front.
In case you're stuck for inspiration, listed below is a small sample of pieces that are often perfect choices for weddings (in our opinion, that is!) but if you would like us to help you find something a little different, please do say.
BACH, Jesu, joy of man's desiring
BRUCKNER, Locus iste
DURUFLÉ, Ubi caritas
FINZI, My spirit sang all day
HOLST, My sweetheart's like Venus
MACMILLAN, So Deep
PURCELL, If music be the food of love
RUTTER, This is the Day
TALLIS, If ye love me
What it costs
Our normal charge for a church wedding in Yorkshire is £450. There are no hidden extras — we don't ask for a rehearsal fee, travel expenses or a sheet music charge.
The reason this is so much better value than other professional wedding choirs is that we don't operate for profit! Because our individual singers give their time for free, we use our income from weddings to cover our costs when we take choral music to parish churches.
When you book us, there are four other factors you might want to consider:
An organist. If you'd like an organist at your wedding, first check whether he or she comes 'for free' as part of the church package — often this is the case and we'll be very happy to work with them. If not, you might want us to find an organist for you. Professional organists have their own rates. If you book one through us, his or her charge will normally be around £90.
A soloist or other instrumentalist. Naturally, if you choose a choral piece which has some little solos built in, we won't charge any extra — when you book a choir, that comes with the territory. But if you ask us to perform a piece that's not actually composed for choir, but just for one solo singer, we'll need to find a soloist who can rehearse and perform the music you've chosen, and there will be a fee of about £50 for this.
A new arrangement. We're often asked for special music that wasn't originally written for choir — for instance, a favourite rock song, anthem or TV theme tune. Songs like this need special treatment before they can be performed by choirs and the costs will vary depending on your requirements. We will usually have to charge a small additional fee to cover the cost of this, but we will always agree this with you up front.
A new composition. For a truly unique touch, you can commission an entirely new composition for the occasion, which we'll perform for the first (and only?) time at your ceremony. Sometimes, couples have a particular poem or Bible verse that they find inspiring and would like to include as a musical element of their ceremony. If this appeals to you, we have links with several professional composers and can put you in touch. Beware that, although costs vary depending on the length and complexity of the music you have in mind, commissioning a new piece of music is like commissioning a new portrait — it won't be cheap.
Book us today!
Please get in touch to book us or if you have any questions. We’d love to hear from you.