The marriage ceremony at St. Luke’s is a service of worship and celebration. All wedding preparations should be made with this fact in mind. We are happy to make our facilities and services available to you and would like to assist you in making your wedding a wonderful and memorable experience.

Your first consultation must be with the St. Luke’s Wedding Coordinator. The coordinator will answer any questions about our facilities and confirm the availability of your wedding date. At that time, a $25 deposit will be requested to reserve the date on the church calendar. After considering all of the material in this handbook, if you wish to proceed, you can call the consultant to make an appointment with one of our ministers.

St. Luke’s clergy require at least three pre-marital conferences with couples. Other United Methodist clergy or clergy from other denominations may officiate, but he or she must be invited by the Senior Pastor of St. Luke’s. The bride and groom should make this request at the first meeting with the Senior Pastor. After which he will invite the clergy person on behalf of St. Luke’s and the bride and groom. The wedding party is responsible for further arrangements with the officiating pastor and informing the St. Luke’s Wedding Coordinator of those arrangements.

If neither the bride, groom, their parents, or guardians, are members of St. Luke’s at the time the wedding is scheduled, the couple will be considered nonmembers. Please refer to Wedding Cost form (available from Wedding Coordinator).

The marriage service is a worship service and the music should be chosen carefully with this in mind. There is a great wealth of appropriate music and the Director of Music and our church organist are available to make suggestions and assist in the selection of service music. If desired, the congregation may be invited to join in the singing of hymns at the beginning and conclusion of the service.

The church offers the use of the staff organists who are highly skilled professional musicians familiar with the instruments of St. Luke’s. If the couple wish to use a different organist or musician, the invitation should be extended only upon approval by our music staff. The music staff must approve all music. Please remember that all of the musicians will need sufficient time to practice the wedding music.

If having a live soloist and/or accompanist is not possible, pre-recorded taped music will be considered with approval of music staff. There will be a $25 per night fee for a sound technician depending upon availability.

Celebration of the Eucharist (Holy Communion)

While the celebration of the Eucharist is not a regular part of the traditional rite of marriage used by most United Methodists, it is most appropriate at this time of great celebration and thanksgiving. We can arrange to incorporate it into the service for the entire wedding party and congregation.

A beautiful sanctuary of worship requires very simple decoration. We believe our Sanctuary is beautiful and feel that it does not lend itself to elaborate decoration. In keeping with this conviction, we ask that you and your florist keep in mind the following guidelines:

The Chancel furniture must not be moved. The Bible and altar candles must remain on the altar.

Plants placed on the floor or on the flower stands must be placed on a protective covering which will ensure no damage done by the water or soil.

Protective clear plastic must be placed beneath candles and candelabras so that dripping wax will not cause damage. Decorations on the pews should be used with extreme care not to mar or mark the furnishings. Please use only wrapped wire or ribbon. No tacks, pins, nails, glue or tape may be used to fasten any decorations to the furniture or building.

Please remember that your wedding is a celebration of Christian worship and the decorations should not overwhelm or detract. We recommend that only two arrangements of flowers be placed in the altar area, and that the arrangements be in proportion to the altar and enhance, rather than conceal it. No decorations may be placed on the altar or communion rails.

Wedding paraments and banners are available as well as a Unity Candle stand, if desired. (You must provide your own candles.)

Please remove all decorations, flowers, candles and any other items as soon as possible from the church following the wedding. If your wedding is set for Friday or Saturday and you wish to leave the flowers for the Sunday worship services, they would be welcomed. Please let the wedding coordinator know of your intentions concerning the use of the flowers. A suitable announcement will be made in the Sunday services.

The church properties must be left in the condition in which they are found.

It is the responsibility of the bride and groom to explain church policies to the photographers, family members and guests with cameras.

Picture taking in the sanctuary during the wedding service is permitted only by the official photographer. The presence and maneuvering of the photographer, the photoflash and click of the camera, are disruptive to the spirit and mood of the ceremony. Pictures may be taken in the sanctuary as indicated below:

Photographer may begin taking pictures two hours prior to the ceremony and MUST be finished 45 minutes prior to the service. Photographer should also be informed that 20 minutes is sufficient time for taking pictures after the ceremony and before the reception.

Official photographer using silent equipment not requiring flash bulbs may take time exposures inconspicuously from the balcony of the sanctuary, after proper arrangements are made for access.

Entry/exit photos of wedding party will be allowed, but the photographer must remain within the last ten pews of the sanctuary.

Video taping must be inconspicuous and is allowed from the balcony of the sanctuary. A stationary video camera will also be allowed in the choir loft if so desired.

Rehearsals are scheduled to avoid conflict with other weddings and church programs. All rehearsals will be scheduled on the evening before the wedding and the times are to be arranged with the wedding coordinator and minister. The rehearsal will begin promptly – a delay disrupts the schedule of the minister, wedding coordinator, organist, and custodians and adds to the expense of the lighting, heating and air conditioning. The bride and groom should insist that the wedding party arrive early and be prepared to begin on time for the rehearsal as well as the wedding. Under most circumstances, a rehearsal is completed in one hour. The rehearsal is not the place to plan your service or discuss changes. The order of worship and options should be discussed with the officiating pastor prior to the rehearsal.

The wedding license may be obtained from the County Clerk’s office. There is a fee. Both bride and groom must be present with valid driver’s license. There is a seventy-two hour waiting period before the ceremony can be performed. License is valid for thirty days.

If you desire to use either the Fellowship Lounge and/or the Fellowship Hall for the wedding reception, please let the wedding coordinator know when you reserve your wedding date on the calendar.

As a service to you, the United Methodist Women will be happy to set up and serve at your reception in the Fellowship Lounge and/or Fellowship Hall. If you are interested in this service by the women of our church, please inform the wedding coordinator who can refer you to the person in charge of UMW wedding receptions.

United Methodist Women have the experience and capability to hold a reception of any kind at St. Luke’s. This is done as a service to the church as well as another means for the UMW to raise funds pledged to the worldwide mission fund of United Methodist Women. Reservations and arrangements (including the estimated length) of the reception should be made with the UMW Hostess.

The fee charged for the reception is $150 for the first 100 guests and $1.50 per plate for each additional guest if a member of the Church. Non-church members are charged $250 for first 100 guests and $2.50 per plate for each additional guest. These funds must be paid by the day of the reception.

The use of alcoholic beverages is not permitted on the church premises and smoking is not permitted in the church.

Please do not use rice, confetti, birdseed or other similar materials at the church. We make this request because of the possibility of someone slipping on such materials and being injured. Our insurance coverage is invalid when rice, birdseed, or similar material is used at a wedding. Bubbles may be used outside only.

While the forgoing may seem involved, it really deals with only the necessary areas of your wedding. Suggestions have come out of many years of study and experience on the part of the church, and are offered in the interest of a beautiful and holy celebration of your marriage in keeping with the sanctity of your love and the vows you make to each other.

This is a sacred occasion for you before God, in the presence of your friends and families through the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Even so, the well-known pattern and formality of the wedding service is not the only possible form of service for a dignified and reverent wedding. If you desire, we will be glad to work with you to incorporate your ideas into a service which will be your statement of the love you share, with each other and with God, and the affirmation of that love by the people of God, gathered at this worship service.

If I can assist you with your wedding plans, call on me. The whole church stands ready to help you in this important event in your life. May God bless you in these significant days and through all your married life together.

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