Wedding Policy

A marriage service in the church is a Christian ceremony, a very sacred moment in your life. It is a religious event, much more than a social event. God is worshipped, and His blessings are invoked upon the man and woman beginning their lives together. In keeping with these ideals, the following guidelines are offered to aid you in thoroughly planning a sacred and dignified wedding. Please read this material carefully, so you may know the customs and suggested procedures for our church. We thank you for cooperating with us in maintaining these standards. The ministers of our church and our support staff are happy to work with you to make this a unique and special time in your family’s life.

SETTING THE DAY

Contact the church office to arrange a time and date for the rehearsal and wedding.
No dates should be announced until the dates are confirmed on the churchcalendar (confirmation requires that all Church Building Fees are paid).
Wedding dates must be on the church calendar 45 days prior to the wedding.
Church facilities are not available for weddings or rehearsals on Sundays or holidays.
Saturday weddings are encouraged to begin on or before 6:00 PM and ended on or before 10:00 PM.
Active church members may reserve a date up to 1 year prior to the wedding.
Non-members may reserve a date up to 4 months prior to the wedding.
An Event Host/Hostess will unlock and lock the building and be available to consult about church policies during all wedding related activities.
It is our policy that up to two weddings may be scheduled per day (with a minimum offive hours in between); but only one reception per day may be scheduled in Fellowship Hall.

THE MINISTER
The pastor and/or the other staff ministers look forward to being of help in this significant time. They will work with you to find a suitable date for the wedding. If you want our pastor to officiate at your wedding but are unable to schedule a date, he will be happy to help find another minister to assist you.
The pastor recognizes there may be times when a couple wants to ask another minister (either on the church staff or from another church) to officiate at the wedding. This is certainly understandable, and the pastor is happy to help make this possible.

PREMARITAL COUNSELING
We want your marriage to succeed. We know that the premarital counseling significantly improves your potential for success and strongly advise you seek such counseling. We will assist in any way possible.

THE MUSIC
The fact you chose to have your wedding at our church indicates your desire to have a worshipful and reverent service, with music centered in the Christian faith. Sentimental love songs or current popular songs are more appropriate at the reception than at the wedding ceremony. The music staff of our church is available with suggestions and selections, and we strongly recommend your consultation with them.

Assistance for musicians may be made through the Music Office.
Honorarium for the church organist and church pianist should be given directly to them prior to the wedding.
It is courteous to give an honorarium for soloists and other accompanists engaged by the bride and her family and should be paid directly to them. Vocal solos and the use of special instruments (violins, harps, etc.) are an optional part of the service. In selecting a soloist, keep in mind this person should be competent and should have some experience performing before people, so he/she may be a contribution to, rather than a distraction from the wedding service. It is helpful to have the musicians attend the wedding rehearsal, but they should arrange a practice time other than at the wedding rehearsal (possibly immediately preceding or following the wedding rehearsal so they may rehearse with the sound technician).

THE PICTURES
It is the responsibility of the bride to instruct the photographer (and guests if necessary), flash pictures are not permissible during the wedding ceremony. The photographer may take pictures of the wedding party as they start down the aisle and as they leave the worship center. Time exposures of the ceremony may be taken from the back of the worship center. Pictures of the wedding party may be taken following completion of or prior to the wedding ceremony. Video taping of the service is permitted from stationary locations.

THE RECEPTION
Church receptions may be held in the Fellowship Hall. This is a special time for congratulations to be given to the bride, groom, and respective families. We respectfully request our facility not be used for a dance. If the bride uses a caterer, or if she chooses a family member or friends to help with the reception, they must:

Bring his/her own equipment and staff for serving, washing and cleaning up at the reception.
The church kitchen may not be used for food preparation, but simply as a place from which to serve during the reception.
The church kitchen supplies (such as coffee, sugar, etc.), serving utensils or paper goods may not be used.

THE SOUND SYSTEM
A sound technician will be present both at the rehearsal and at the ceremony.
The sound technician must have prerecorded music tracks supplied by the bride or groom prior to the rehearsal.

THE DECORATIONS
Please make sure your florist is aware of these stipulations:

Florists are expected to provide their own plants and decorations for the wedding and reception.
The placing of decorations must not deface the church furniture.
Under no condition shall decorations be attached to chairs, walls, or other furniture with pins, staples, glue, or nails of any sort.
Dripless candles must be used in candelabras.
Plastic must be placed under candelabras to protect carpeting.
Florists are responsible for cleaning wax from floors, furniture, and carpeting.
Florists are responsible for removal of all decorations following the wedding ceremony and/or reception.
Pew candles are not permitted.
Pew bows may be attached with strapping tape or rubber bands.
Church custodians are responsible for moving church furniture for the wedding ceremony and reception, but must be informed at least one week in advance.
When the church is decorated for special occasions (e.g. Christmas, Easter) wedding decorations must be coordinated with the decorations already placed in the church.

When special emphases are taking place in the church (e.g. World Missions Flags, Stewardship banners), banners may be removed and replaced only by the custodians.

CONDUCT OF WEDDING PARTY AND GUESTS

No Smoking is permitted anywhere on the church property. This includes those who do the decorating and catering.
No Alcohol of any kind is permitted on the church property.
If rice is used, it must be outside of the building and distributed near the exit only at time of departure. Birdseed is recommended, but it too must be used outside.

CHURCH BUILDING FEES
These fees should be paid at the time of reserving the building. The fees can be paid with two checks, one for the deposit and one for all other fees (this one can be post-dated to one month prior to the wedding and we will hold it until then).These fees do not include honorariums to persons such as minister, musicians, soloists, etc. You need to make personal arrangements as to the amount you will pay them.