to think the church organist deserves to burn for this?!

[purpleloosestrife]

I'm getting married this summer, but everybody in the village knows the local church organist is awful and sounds like Les Dawson playing the piano on a GOOD day.

Anyway, I rang him - and he told me that he was on holiday on my wedding day.

(whilst secretly extremely happy & punching the air) I oh so tactfully and very politely said what a shame and said not to worry as I would organise someone else, and really hoped he enjoyed his holiday. All very nice... but then just as i was ringing off and saying my goodbyes......

Right, he said, now about my fee....I said what fee, you're not even going to be in the country so won't be playing at my wedding??? to which he replied... it is £100 regardless.

He's not even going to be there or play and I have to pay him £100 !!!!

I've had to also pay a second (professional) organist - who incidentally only charges £80 which also includes his travel and an hour of practise ( on a strange organ ooh er !!) before the wedding. So the local organist is overcharging as well as fleecing me!!!

AIBU to think a regular church goer should actually have more christian values????

Oh and he wants it in cash and seemed EXTREMELY put out when I said I would only pay him if he gave me a dated itemised invoice for tax purposes.

I think organists have an understanding that they get first "dibs" on all the wedding/funeral playing fees if they are the regular church organist (fair enough) but I'm just fed up as the bloke is on holiday for my wedding and STILL wants a fee!!

I like the idea of waiting to see if he'll take me to small claims court!

i would ignore his demands, just totally ignore them.

Your arrangements are now with the vicar, as the organist is going to be away, so you dont need to contact him at all.

And I would be very surprised if you got an invoice btw!

Organs are owned and maintained by the church, not the organists. IF the vicar wants a contribution for its use, thats fine, I wouldnt have a problem with that. But this organist is trying to fleece the OP and thats not on!

TBH I don't think it matters that he's not going to be there.

He has to go along ever week and play the organ, I assume for free (?), and in return he gets paid when the organ's used for weddings etc.

So it does seem reasonable. Obviously it doesn't cost him £100 to actually do the wedding, that money is a contribution for his service to the church over the year.

Your wedding helps to pay for the cost of the church for the rest of the year. If you want to use it, you should contribute to the cost.

And yes, people do get holiday pay.

The invoice thing does sound dodgy though.

Snarky tone about the other organist practising? Bet you'd be complaining if he made mistakes on the big day.

But the organist has no say on whether to charge for the cost to the church of maintenance, thats up to the vicar or the church council.

poo I think it was a joke about him playing with a "strange organ....ooer" rather than being sarcastic.

Oh

I've heard of this many times. the organist volunteers for the church, and therefore the church gives them the right to demand the fee of everyone who marries there. a lot of churches just give you a round figure, and that money is split between the organist, choir, flower arrangers, cleaners etc, and some goes to the general church as well.

just because you are paying him direct, rather than via the church, it makes no difference. if the church didn't have an organist, there would no organ that you could use anyway.

think of it more like a restaurant that pools all tips and hands them out to everyone at the end of the week.

they SHOULD be paying tax on it if they earn enough to pay tax, but many church workers are otherwise unemployed and so aren't liable for tax - don't know about this one obv.

I had to pay for a choir, even though a big chunk of my friends were professional singers, not spotty youths making a few extra quid. and my organist completely messed up and tried playing the music for the next wedding, not mine.

just one of the many costs of getting married.

Don't know whether this helps but I'm a lawyer and have actually seen a contract between a church organist and an Anglican church. It's been a while but if I recollect the fees for weddings, funerals etc are paid direct to the organist but as he is self-employed he is responsible for appointing and paying a replacement if he cannot conduct the service. So in this case would the fee normally be £180 and he is splitting it as he is entitled to? If not I would ask the organist to see a copy of the contract that entitles him to render these charges even if he isn't performing the services.

poulay - i'm already paying over £500 to the church for the wedding. This is the fee for using the church (and pays towards the upkeep of the building and the organ)

I also support the church on "gift" day/xmas fetes/summer fetes/collection plate at services.

I'm just at the organist having the cheek to ask for his fee when he is away on holiday.

As far as I know, this is standard practice in the CofE. Part of the conditions of engagement for organists is that they are paid for services which they do not take part in. I was also astounded that we were expected to turn up with cash on the day of the wedding to pay both the vicar and the organist.
(come to think about it financial grabbing seems to be endemic in the music fraternity - music teachers, militant orchestra members ...)

I don't think it matters how much you are paying to the church for the wedding.

The point is that the organist is entitled to receive a fee when the organ is used. In return he agrees to play the organ at all the services.

That's the agreement he's got, and as you're playing at a church with an organ rather than a happy-clappy place with guitars and drums, you are required to specifically fund the organist for his duties throughout the year.

The vicar could not care less who plays the organ at your wedding. What she wants to know is that she will have an organist there every Sunday.

And that guarantee comes from the organist receiving fees for each wedding.

The £500 you are paying just goes to the general budget, I presume a proportion of that is paid out to third parties, some goes to central funds, and the church is left with a little, but if the organist leaves because you are trying to get the vicar to insist he doesn't get paid, then that's actually much more significant to the church than your £500.

Them's the rules, pay it, but do feel free to ask for an invoice.

Just make sure the vicar has a key to get into the organ before this organist goes on holiday... They all have doors that lock

Our church pays a salary (albeit a small one) to the organist as he looks after the choir and teaches them too, weddings are a bonus for the organist and the only time the choir gets any £for their efforts

DH is a church organist . He says this isn't right. If the regular organist was being displaced by one of your own choice then yes, technically he should get his fee as well. But NOT if he has made himself unavailable. Very grasping of him.
The vicar needs to stand up to him really.

I'm a sometime church organist and cannot believe this man's cheek. Tell him to shove his invoice up his 32ft pipe and smoke it. If he's that bad a musician the vicar should stop being so wet and tell him his behaviour is outrageous. The only possible justification is if he is sourcing your replacement organist and will pay the money over to him/her in turn.

Ok, if you're talking a cathedral you might run into more rules and regs. But a nice parish church - is that what we are talking here? What a pompous loon.

I am the Treasurer at my local church and also a lawyer. The organist is and should be an employee not self employed and therefore I don't see why you should have to pay him. I suggest you take the matter up with the vicar and/or the Diocese. You don't have a contract with him. why should you have to pay him.

Tell him to go fuck himself (and his bastard organ), not very Christian I know but still, cheeky git! Isn't that classed as stealing- one of the 10 commandments- thou shalt not steal mother fucker!

The organist at our church is paid a certain sum a year and runs the choir and plays for services. Weddings are extra and paid for on the day. (actually dh doesn't take the church annual fee but that's his choice)
He wouldn't dream of charging for a wedding he was on holiday for.

yabu to use the term "deserves to burn", horrible phrase

We wanted a friend to play the organ for our wedding. We still had to pay the church organist. It's normal though a bit of an expense.

Cheeky. As. Fuck.

Surely it's only normal to pay the regular organist if he is available but you are wanting to use someone else?