Arranging for a Wedding at FPCG
The Sanctuary seats 350 and is appropriate for any size wedding. The Edna M. Anderson Chapel, which is popular for small weddings, comfortably accommodates 65 guests. Weddings traditionally take place on Saturdays, although services on a Sunday afternoon or on weekdays are possible if other church programs are not using the spaces. Ordinarily no weddings are scheduled during Holy Week, Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. If more than one wedding is scheduled for a particular day, wedding times are allocated on a “first-come-first-served” basis. A minimum interval of three hours must be maintained between weddings to leave adequate time for cleaning, floral decorations, and photography between individual weddings. Reception set-ups require extra time.
Once you have decided that you would like your wedding ceremony to be held at FPCG, contact the FPCG Business Manager, Erin Moore (erin@fpcg.org), to reserve a space and time for the service and to indicate your preference, if any, for a particular pastor to perform the ceremony. It is advisable to do this as far in advance as possible; we suggest six months or more. Her office can tell you when the Sanctuary and Anderson Chapel are available. Once you have decided upon a date, time and space, promptly return the Wedding Information Form [insert link to Shelby form] and a non-refundable deposit of $500 to secure your plans. (The deposit will be applied to your final church fees.) Upon the Church Office's receipt of your form and deposit, the officiating pastor will call to arrange the first of several pre-marriage conferences. These conferences are an essential part of preparation of marriage, and the couple is responsible for setting and keeping the appointments. At the first meeting, the pastor will discuss the service, arrange for the remaining pre-marriage conferences and answer whatever questions you might have about the service or its preparations.
You should also contact the Minister of Music, Dr. Caroline Worra (caroline.worra@fpcg.org), who will help you select appropriate music and arrange for the musicians and soloists you would like to be part of the ceremony, and the Church’s Wedding Coordinator, Lori Niehaus (lori.m.niehaus@gmail.com) to discuss flowers, candles, photographs and other logistics.