Weddings

Wedding Requests; General Information & Fees for the Prospective Wedding Couple
Updated September 5, 2011

The following information and general fee schedule is provided for the prospective wedding couple. This information can and should be reviewed by the couple even prior to scheduling a meeting with the minister. This information is provided up front to assist a couple early on.

We hope the preliminary information will be helpful to you in narrowing your search for the perfect place God has in mind for your special day.

First, neither the bride nor groom is “required” to be members of the church at the time of the wedding in order to be married at the church. They are however, required, to be local residents available for not less than three meetings prior to wedding with Reverend Dr. Dennis Andrews. No wedding can be confirmed or scheduled before a meeting with Reverend Andrews.

It is church policy that the church facilities be made available for weddings only when the minister of Community Presbyterian Church does both required premarital counseling and the wedding ceremony.

The only exception to this is in regards the Brazilian Presbyterian Congregation that makes use of our church facilities. Weddings for their members at Community Presbyterian Church may be scheduled and handled by their pastoral staff.

The prospective wedding couple is encouraged to consider the following information and then call us. We’d love to talk with you about your wedding!

Meeting 1 (One Hour) There are many purposes for the first meeting with the minister:

It is important for the minister and couple to meet to begin to get to know each other. At meeting number one the couple sees the church and receives the schedule of fees and requirements for the wedding.

Questions about the facility, fees or policy questions are addressed at this meeting. If all goes well as it most assuredly will, then the minister and couple confirm a schedule for meeting two and three and a date may be tentatively booked for the wedding.

A deposit equaling 50 percent of all fees must be paid before the second meeting. Please note that no fee is required or accepted and no wedding is even tentatively scheduled or booked prior to this first meeting with the minister.

Meeting 2 (One Hour) The gift and longstanding tradition of marriage between a man and a woman is God’s plan and gift to the world. It is not to be entered into lightly but prayerfully and joyfully with great excitement. This meeting enables the minister and couple to get to know each other better. It is casual like all meetings.

Discussion questions are presented for the couple to consider in private just between themselves. Any discussion with the minister about these questions by the couple is completely up to the couple. The minister and couple begin to review and discuss the wedding itself at the conclusion of this meeting.

The remaining fees are due prior to the third meeting.

Meeting 3 (One Hour) This meeting begins with discussion of any issues that emerge from previous meetings. The remainder of this meeting is to begin to plan and establish the framework for the wedding itself. This meeting is typically held in the sanctuary or chapel where the wedding is planned to take place.

Everything from the physical location for the wedding, readings, vows, music, unity candles, rehearsal, the wedding itself, family, the wedding party, flowers and other topics are addressed.

Meeting 4: A fourth meeting can be arranged if necessary to finalize the liturgy prior to the wedding rehearsal. The strategy for preparing for the wedding rehearsal is that it be a rehearsal and not an on the spot creation. Couples are encouraged (1 to cordially accept the advice of family and friends in planning their wedding but (2) to remember the wedding is their own.

Rehearsal: Required but with Angst Removed

Yes a rehearsal is required. Depending on the wedding, its size and complexity the rehearsal might be a brief one but it is necessary nonetheless.

Our onsite wedding coordinator will attend the rehearsal to coordinate logistics.

Our director of music will attend the rehearsal if there is to be music at the wedding. The couple may add special music of their choosing naturally and coordinate same with our musician but the pianist or organist at our church weddings is our Director of Music. We provide this information as a general rule and not one that cannot be waived depending on the circumstances.

The Wedding: Your Spectacular Day of a Lifetime @ the Steeple on the Beach

Please note the following fee structure which sets forth what we believe are extremely reasonable costs whether a couple is a member of the church or not. We naturally charge very little to cover base church expenses, especially for members of our congregation.

Contact Us. Join Us. You’ll be forever glad you did!

Wedding Fee Schedule 2011 – 2012

*Please note the above fees and corresponding costs reflect a 50 percent reduction in expense to the couple if the bride and groom are active members of Community Presbyterian Church at the time of the wedding and the couple plans to remain active members of the church following the wedding.

This fee structure is aimed at (1) encouraging weddings in the church and (2) encouraging membership in the church. It is our heartfelt belief that it is as important for a couple to be in church after the wedding as it is for them to be in the church prior to and for the wedding.

God bless you now and forever……