Access
You must indicate a time you want the church open prior to the scheduled time of your wedding. Please consider the delivery of flowers, photo sessions, and dressing. Normally the church will be open two hours before the ceremony on the day of the wedding, and the exterior Sanctuary doors will open thirty minutes prior to the service.
Sanctuary Furniture
The baptismal font and the communion table are furnishings integral to the Christian faith; therefore, neither may be removed.
Music
The wedding ceremony is a service of worship and the music for the service must be appropriate in expressing gratitude and praise to God for the gift of marriage. (Secular or popular songs of special meaning to you should be reserved for the wedding reception.) Music for the service is under the direction and supervision of the Minister of Music of FPCG who is expected to play all weddings. After your initial meeting with the officiating pastor, you should make an appointment with the Minister of Music to discuss the music for the service, including any hymns to be sung by the congregation. If the Minister of Music is not available to play at the wedding, she will arrange for a substitute. If our organist is available but you desire a guest organist or other musicians, FPCG follows the policy of the American Guild of Organists: a guest organist or other musicians must meet with our Minister of Music, who will assess the musicians' competence and experience. If the musicians are approved for the service, it will be your responsibility to arrange for and pay the musicians' fees, as well as our Director of Music’s standard fee. Neither recorded music nor amplification of music selections is permitted.
Instrumental and Vocal Soloists
Vocal and instrumental soloists are encouraged and can add great beauty to a service. The Director of Music acts as the coordinator for hiring these additional musicians and will be happy to be in contact with you about these musical possibilities.
The church employs a number of professional singers who are not only excellent ensemble singers, but accomplished soloists as well. If a vocal soloist or quartet is desired, they will normally be drawn from this group of singers. Instrumentalists, such as a trumpeter, violinist, cellist, harpist, or string quartet are effective in our church setting and are also a popular choice with couples. If you wish to have a friend or family member sing or play at the service, arrangements must be made with our Minister of Music as soon as possible.
Other Professional Services
The level of involvement of other professionals—photographers, videographers, florists and wedding planners—is at the discretion of the officiating pastor. The following policies are to be honored:
Photography and Videography
Guidelines and policies preceding and following the wedding service are different than those necessary during the service itself. Formal photographs of the wedding party may be taken within the Sanctuary starting up to two hours before the service and must be completed one hour before the ceremony is to begin. Formal photographs and "re-enactments" of the service may be arranged in the Sanctuary for up to one hour following the recessional. The officiating pastor will be glad to reenact any part of the ceremony but should be informed of this request prior to the wedding.
Though photographic and video recording of a wedding service can be a great blessing for remembering the ceremony over the years, unrestricted use of cameras is distracting, disruptive and even dangerous during the wedding itself. Unexpected bright flashes of light can do harm to people suffering from eye disease or other neurological disorders and musicians can be distracted or temporarily blinded by flash photography and this can interrupt the music at your ceremony. Additionally, retention of musicians by the church does not imply their permission to be implicitly photographed or included in videotapes of the ceremony.
Photographers and their assistants moving without constraint during the service is an unnecessary distraction and inappropriate. To ensure that worship itself remains the focus during the service, the following policies have been established:
-
Flash photography and/or video lights are not permitted for use either by professional photographers or guests. There is adequate light available for good photographs.
-
Timed exposures from stationary cameras with natural light may be taken from the balcony or from the narthex. The photographers and videographers must stay out of sight of guests at all times after the ceremony begins.
-
Those taking photos are not permitted to position themselves in the center aisle or intrude onto the chancel during the service. They must abide by the flash/light policy in all circumstances.
-
No extra microphones can be placed near the minister, bride and groom unless such arrangements can be checked out at the rehearsal, in order to rule out the possibility of interference with the church’s public address system, which uses radio-wave, remote microphones.
-
It is the responsibility of the bride’s family to ensure that your photographer, friends and family are aware of and adhere to this policy. Please also inform the church office of the name of your photographer/videographer. The wedding coordinator will send them a letter detailing the Guidelines for Wedding Photographers. Should this policy be violated, the officiating pastor may stop the wedding ceremony until the integrity of the service has been restored.
Dressing for the service and pre-service photographs
Though we do have a room in which the bride may change, we recommend that all members of the wedding party come to the church dressed for the service. The Bride’s Room, located adjacent to the Narthex, is reserved for the bride and her attendants. The groom and his groomsmen usually gather before the service in the Chapel Lounge.
If the wedding party is using the services of hair stylists or make-up artists, please assure that their work is scheduled early enough not to delay the service. If pre-service photographs are planned for elsewhere, please ensure that those photographs will be completed no later than one hour before the service. Remember that photographers are interested in taking as many photographs as possible as this is their business, and they will continue to press for "one more shot" and inevitably cause you to be late. Please be disciplined with these people for the sake of your guests. And remember, there may well be another service scheduled after yours.
Flowers
Floral displays contribute to the sense of joyous celebration at a wedding, but we ask that restraint be shown in decorating the Sanctuary and Anderson Chapel, taking into consideration the elegant simplicity of the worship spaces at FPCG. Wedding vows are exchanged in front of the communion table, which means that floral displays need to be placed at the sides of the chancel. Two flower stands are available and sufficient for a festive atmosphere. Flowers or other decorations cannot be tacked or otherwise attached to sanctuary furniture or fittings as well as doors (internal and external) and hand railings. Scattering flowers on the center aisle is not permitted. The selection of a florist is the responsibility of the couple and should be done as soon as possible. Florists tend to have busy schedules on Saturdays, especially during certain times of year when weddings are popular. Be sure to alert your florist to any time constraints. It is recommended to make an appointment early on with the florist and our sexton to view the sanctuary, so your florist can become familiar with what is needed and allowed.
Aisle Runner
Aisle runners are not permitted.
Wedding Planners
Though couples may elect to have a wedding planner for help with many of the decisions accompanying the wedding festivities, such a person is not necessary for a wedding service at FPCG. Wedding planners who are contracted and expected to assist with the service must be familiar with church policy and follow the instructions of the officiating pastor and the church’s wedding coordinator.
Rehearsals
Wedding rehearsals are normally held at 5 p.m. on the evening before the wedding and last approximately one hour. Please plan your rehearsal dinner with this in mind. All members of the wedding party, including parents, readers, ushers, soloists and musicians, are expected to attend unless excused by the officiating pastor. It is essential that the rehearsal begin on time and that all members of the wedding party be present. It is the responsibility of the bride and groom to have members of the wedding party at the church on time for the rehearsal and the wedding ceremony. For very small weddings or wedding parties, a rehearsal may not be necessary. The decision as to whether a rehearsal is necessary will be made by the officiating pastor, in consultation with the couple. The wedding license should be brought to the rehearsal and left with the officiating pastor.
Candles
The church has four seven-branch candelabra and pew candles for the center aisle. Candles used in the service are supplied through the church, and we use liquid oil candles. These are the only candles permitted. Please arrange for their use with the wedding coordinator. If you desire to use a unity candle or memory candle in your ceremony, arrangements for this must be discussed with the officiating pastor, and you will be responsible for providing a unity or memory candle of your own choosing.
In Conclusion
A wedding is a thrilling, joyful, life-changing event, celebrated with delight and pleasure with family and friends. The center of that event is the worship service where a couple makes life-long loving promises to one another in the presence of God, with the assurance of God's blessing upon the relationship.
If you have decided you want to be married at FPCG, we encourage you to begin noting your questions and concerns for discussion with the pastor. Each conference will begin with a time to review those concerns and questions. We want your wedding service to be an expression of you and your love for one another.
We at FPCG promise to do all that we can to help prepare you for the joys and responsibilities of your new life together following the exchange of your wedding vows.
During the time of preparation, we welcome and encourage you to make a special effort to attend Sunday worship services with us. One of the best ways to assure the health of your relationship is to worship weekly, becoming one in a life of faith through prayer, worship and service. If you would like to consider becoming a member of the congregation, we would be happy to talk with you about that as well.
Above all, we want you to know that we remain available to help guide you through this important time in your lives. In the weeks, months and years that follow, we promise to be available to help you continue to grow in your life together.