Wedding Guidelines: FPC Yakima

Planning Your Wedding

at Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church Yakima, Washington

Inside Welcome ................................................................................... 2 Officiating Pastor, Counseling & Marriage Mentoring .............. 3 Greater Yakima Marriage Agreement ....................................... 4 Wedding Coordinator & Wedding Hostess ............................... 5 The Rehearsal, Audio and Video ............................................... 6 Music & Decorating the Sanctuary ........................................... 7 The Reception ........................................................................... 8 Photography ............................................................................. 9 Important Information ............................................................. 10 Fees ................................................................................. 11 & 12 Wedding Contacts .................................................................... 13

The Checklist  Read Booklet  Pay Deposit  Contact Pastor’s Administrative Assistant to arrange counseling.  Contact Wedding Hostess  Contact Musicians  Contact Photographer  Contact Reception Host (if holding the reception at the church.)

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Your Wedding At Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church We share the joy of your commitment to each other and we want your marriage ceremony to be as enjoyable and meaningful as possible. We are delighted that you have chosen to celebrate your wedding within the Church of Jesus Christ.

Your marriage ceremony has at least two distinct parts: First, it is a joyous celebration. It is a time for family and friends to gather together and share in the joy of your love for one another. It is a time for smiles and happiness and sometimes, even tears of gladness. But more than that, your marriage ceremony is a worship service. It is our assumption that you have asked a Christian pastor to lead in this service because you desire that God be celebrated as the source for your love for one another.

We look forward to sharing in this important event in your lives.

We suggest that both you and your families read this booklet so that you all are fully aware of the policies of Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church Yakima with regard to weddings. Blessings in planning your special day!

In His Love, Grace of Christ Pastoral Staff

At the beginning of creation God made them male and female.

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate. Mark 10:6-9 page 2

Officiating Pastor It is required that one of the pastors of Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church will participate at all weddings. If the family desires an additional minister to participate in the service, our church pastor should be informed in a timely manner so that we may extend a written invitation to the visiting minister.

If necessary, couples who live outside the Yakima Valley may discuss with their officiating pastor at Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church alternatives for the pre-marriage counseling schedule described below.

Counseling and Marriage Mentoring It is our strong desire that you will not only have a beautiful and memorable wedding ceremony, but more importantly, that you will enjoy a lasting, rewarding and meaningful marriage.

To that end we require that couples attend seven pre-marriage counseling sessions. The first six sessions cover such topics as communication, conflict resolution, goal setting, budgeting, spiritual beliefs and marriage expectations. The seventh session is primarily devoted to planning the ceremony itself. You will be paired with a marriage mentor (M&M), who will work alongside your officiating pastor, to provide you with this valuable premarriage preparation.

Our church uses an excellent program called “Prepare/Enrich� which forms the basis for discussions about the issues which all married couples face.

An important aspect of this program is the survey which both partners fill out before the first session which costs $35. You are strongly encouraged to begin the counseling process at least six months in advance of your wedding.

Please note that it is your responsibility to contact the pastor’s Administrative Assistant at 248-7940, to set up the initial counseling appointment.

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Yakima Marriage Agreement One of our core values as a church is to work in every way we can to strengthen the Covenant of Marriage. We believe that marriage is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman, and for that reason we have joined with other church bodies in the Yakima area in signing the following Community Wide Marriage Agreement: We, the undersigned, representing various faith communities and sharing a common commitment to foster healthy, loving, lifelong marriages, believe it is God who designed the marriage union, and that God provides resources for good and wholesome relationships. Our responsibility and desire, as the Church of Jesus Christ, is to foster lasting marital unions between a man and a woman under God and to establish strong Christian families in our valley.

We Believe‌ 1. That God has established and ordained the marriage relationship in Scripture.

2. That God intends the marriage covenant of a man and a woman to be a healthy and loving relationship that is meant to last a lifetime.

3. That we have a responsibility to participate in and to provide premarital preparation to improve the understanding and mutual commitment of those couples being married.

4. That we have a responsibility to provide ongoing support to strengthen and nourish existing marriages.

5. That our clergy, although legally empowered to conduct marriage ceremonies, have the freedom to choose whether or not to conduct them.

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To do our part in strengthening the

covenant of marriage, we will...

1. Provide a minimum of four months of marriage preparation during which sexual purity will be encouraged.

2. Provide a minimum of seven hours of premarital counseling in multiple sessions, utilizing the Scripture, pre-marriage inventory and relational instruments.

3. Encourage additional reading materials, retreats, classes and marriage enrichment opportunities designed to continue to build and strengthen marriages.

4. Provide continuing assistance for newlyweds, troubled marriages, blended families, and divorced or single parent.

5. Cooperate with other congregations and organizations that share a common desire to strengthen marriages, in order to create a climate in which all marriages are helped to develop and grow to their full potential.

Our intention for this agreement is to strengthen and empower couples to celebrate and enjoy a fulfilling, lifelong marital relationship.

Wedding Coordinator The wedding coordinator will provide administrative assistance throughout the process of your wedding planning. She will contact you early in the process and will be available to answer questions up to the day of your ceremony.

Wedding Hostess The wedding hostess will provide assistance and advice in the planning of your wedding ceremony. She should be contacted about six weeks prior to your wedding. She will meet with you to finalize arrangements.

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The Rehearsal The wedding hostess will be responsible to guide the wedding party through the rehearsal. The rehearsal will begin on time and conclude not more than one hour later. The rehearsal will be held at 5:30pm the Friday prior to your wedding. Weddings will be scheduled no later than 4:00pm. Weddings with receptions will be scheduled no later than 2:00pm.

The wedding party is to be informed that both the rehearsal and the wedding are to be conducted with Christian spirit and dignity. The parents of both the bride and the groom and all members of the wedding party are to attend the rehearsal, and we ask that all who attend be informed that proper dress and decorum be observed.

Please bring your marriage license packet and candles to the rehearsal and give them to the lead wedding hostess.

Audio and Video Basic Sound Services Include: One-hour for the rehearsal and two-hours on the wedding day. The sound technician will be available one hour before the service for sound-check with those not present at the rehearsal in addition to final checks with pastor and groom. The groom will wear a wireless microphone that will pick up voices of the bride and groom. We make every effort to provide an audio recording of the service on CD. Basic Sound Services will be sufficient for weddings that are using only: the organ, soloist, pastor, groom and lectern speakers.

Additional Services: If additional services are anticipated, the bride and/or wedding coordinator must meet for a consultation with the church’s Worship Coordinator at least 4 weeks prior to the wedding to discuss plans and additional fees.

Additional services include: use of canned/CD music; live music other than organ/soloist; video; PowerPoint; video recording; additional rehearsal; additional set-up/teardown; or other special audio/video needs.

Plan to turn in visual or audio media at least one week before the rehearsal.

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Music Music to be used, both instrumental and vocal selections, must be in keeping with the spirit of Christian theology and worship. The pastor and hostess must be consulted with regard to all musical selections to confirm their appropriateness for Christian worship.

The organist of this church will be used when organ music is desired. You will need to contact the organist to schedule an appointment to go over music selections in preparation for your wedding. If requested, a pianist and/or soloist can be recommended, but financial arrangements are between the bride and the pianist/soloist.

Decorating the Sanctuary Simplicity should be the keynote, always remembering that both the sanctuary and chapel are places of worship and your wedding is a worship service. In keeping with the flavor of the sanctuary, simple elegance is the goal. Votive candles along the outside of the pews and down the middle aisle are available, if desired. There are also wrought iron candelabras available for the front of the sanctuary. Candles are not included for candelabras. The church does not own an aisle runner and one is not recommended. All musical equipment and choir loft accessories must remain where they are and are not to be touched.

You are responsible for floral arrangements. Please discuss floral delivery arrangements with your wedding hostess. Flower arrangements are allowed on the communion table; however, the cross must remain.

When arranging for flowers, please remember that the organist needs to be able to see the bridal party coming down the aisle. Large arrangements will hamper his vision.

Immediately following the wedding all flowers and decorations must be removed by the florist or friends of the wedding party.

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The Reception The Garden Room is available for receptions. Catered receptions with over 100 people must be held in the gym.

If you choose to have your reception at the church, you must reserve either the Garden Room or the gym and make arrangements with our Reception Hostess. We provide the following for receptions: table linens for the serving tables, crystal or silver punch bowl and ladle, silver coffee and tea service, silver serving trays, glass nut servers and glass mint servers. It is your responsibility to order linens for guest’s tables.

The bridal party is to furnish the napkins, plastic silverware, paper plates, cups, wedding cake, beverages, cream, sugar, nuts, mints and other refreshments, and guest’s table linens if planned. If you desire to have dancing at your reception, it needs to be approved by the church and the wedding party needs to rent a dance floor. Our Reception Hostess will work with you in making these arrangements. She will go over all of the information you will need for your reception. Please contact her at least six weeks prior to your reception.

All furniture is to remain in place. Tables may be moved only under the supervision of the custodian. Any decorations are to be done by the wedding party and must be approved beforehand by your wedding hostess or a church custodian.

The wedding party is responsible for any damage other than normal dish or glass breakage.

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Pictures & Video Recording Since the wedding service is a worship experience, we do not want the memories of it to be marred by inappropriate photography.

1. No flash pictures or moving about by photographers or guests is permitted during the ceremony.

2. The photographer must remain near the back of the sanctuary. It is the responsibility of the bride and groom to inform the photographer and guests of this policy.

3. Pictures are permitted from the balcony or back of the church as the bridal party proceeds down the center aisle of the church at the beginning and end of the ceremony. Segments of the service are easily recreated for pictures before or after the service.

If outside professional or family friends are to video the service, the following must be observed: 1. The wedding hostess must be informed of the person’s name and telephone number.

2. The camera must remain in the area that the wedding hostess designates. Moving about in the sanctuary disturbs the service and will not be permitted.

3. The camera must be noiseless as well as inconspicuous.

4. Special lighting is not permitted.

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Important Information 1. When you reserve the church for your wedding you are reserving it for five hours. The bridal party will be allowed to arrive three hours prior to the ceremony giving you time to dress and take pictures.

One hour is allotted for the ceremony and one hour for taking down decorations and clean up of the dressing rooms.

2. It is the policy of the church that no alcoholic beverages be served or consumed on the premises. Members of the wedding party are also requested to refrain from the use of alcoholic beverages immediately prior to the rehearsal and the wedding. Under no circumstances will anyone under the influence of alcohol or drugs be permitted to take part in the wedding service. The bride and groom shall make this rule known to all members of the wedding party and failure to adhere to this request may cause cancellation of the wedding ceremony.

3. We ask that the traditional throwing of rice, confetti or birdseed be reserved for a reception off the church grounds due to the hazards these objects present. Rose petals or bubbles may be used as an alternative, handed to guests as they exit the building.

4. Church property may not be removed from the church.

5. Due to fire regulations, smoking is prohibited inside the buildings.

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Fees A non-refundable $100 deposit and Declaration are due when you receive notice from the Wedding Coordinator that pastoral staff has approved your wedding.

BUILDING USE Building Use (no charge for members or active attendees) $100 After Hours Fee (Saturdays after 5:00p) Per hour/one hour min $20 Damage Deposit (refundable after event) $100 PASTORAL SERVICES Pastoral Services Fee includes pre-wedding counseling and officiating the wedding.

GCPC Pastor Fee with guest pastor participation (no counseling involved) WEDDING SERVICES Wedding Hostesses Administrative & Custodial Services Candelabra candles upon request ($1.50 each) Organist* (Fee includes one hour rehearsal time – add’l $15/hr) REHEARSAL DINNER SERVICES* Room Use (no charge for members or active attendees) Custodial Services Rehearsal Dinner Hostess Linen (Wedding party takes care of this on their own)

Continued on next page...

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$255 $125 $250 $200 $18 $175 $100 $50 $150

WEDDING RECEPTION SERVICES* Room Use (no charge for members or active attendees) Custodial Services Reception Host and Assistants Linen (Wedding party takes care of this on their own) AUDIO & MEDIA Audio: Wedding (Organ, piano or soloist only; includes 1 hr rehearsal time) Additional Needs and/or Rehearsal Time with Tech (per hour) Media: Wedding Additional Needs or Rehearsal Time with Tech (per hour) OTHER Wedding Deposit (Non-refundable) Childcare* (two workers/per hour/2 hour min)

$100 $50 $250

$75 $25 $75 $25 $100 $44

Items with an asterisk (*) are optional services.

The balance due is payable two weeks prior to your wedding date.

Checks payable to “Grace of Christ Presbyterian Church or GCPC” All Fees are subject to change.

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Wedding Contacts Following are the names and telephone numbers of the people who may be connected with your wedding. If you need to contact them for any reason, please feel free to do so.

Wedding Coordinator Diane Kearby

494-2421

Wedding Hostesses

Sandy Rowland Lois Hanks

966-3677 575-1455

Organist

Dr. Jon Waite

452-1571

Receptions

Joann Benson

965-2258

Pastors

Jack Peebles Cindy Carter Tyler Van Horn Gustavo Carvajal

248-7940 x 108 248-7940 x 108 248-7940 x 108 248-7940 x 125

Audio & Media

Deb Kent

248-7940 x 109

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