Considering a Wedding at Faith? What You Should Know...

A wedding is a solemn and joyous event.  At Faith, we celebrate weddings and ask Jesus’s blessing on the promises the couple make to one another.

We do this in the certain hope that Jesus will work through everyone present to sustain and strengthen the new family and bless the world through them.

We do not celebrate weddings during Christmas, from December 24 to December 26, during Holy Week (the week before Easter), or on the day of Pentecost, because of the nature of those church festivals.  Weddings on Sundays are at the discretion of the pastor, as are weddings in locations other than the church building.

We encourage couples to plan their wedding services to include a celebration of Holy Communion.  When Holy Communion is celebrated at your wedding service, all must be invited to receive. When Holy Communion is celebrated you are strongly encouraged to choose a reading from one of the four Gospels as one of the scripture readings in your wedding service.

A marriage license duly issued by a Town Clerk of a Connecticut town is required, and the pastor cannot celebrate your wedding service without one.  Your completed marriage license will be filed in the Town of East Hartford by the church after your wedding.

Preparing for your wedding

If you are not members of Faith, please attend one of our regular worship services and speak to the pastor afterwards to arrange your wedding date. If you are members, please speak to the pastor at your convenience. Six months to a year in advance is not too soon.  You should plan on preparing for your wedding with four counseling and planning sessions and a wedding rehearsal.

Fees

We welcome non-members to become married at Faith Lutheran Church.  Putting on weddings involves significant costs to the church, which we ask the wedding party to help us cover by paying fees.

• The fee for the use of the church, including cleaning, is     $300.00
• If the parish hall and kitchen are used for a reception, the fee for that is     $150.00
• The fee for the pastor’s work, including counseling, planning, and rehearsal, is     $300.00
• The fee for the Parish Musician is     $150.00
• If the Parish Musician’s services are needed for rehearsal, the hourly fee for that is     $50.00

Members of our congregation here at Faith are expected to cover the musician’s fees only.

If the size of these fees causes hardship, please don’t hesitate to speak to the pastor about reducing them.

Music

Wedding music is a part of the worship service. As such, it is meant to glorify God and edify the congregation, while contributing to the spirit of worship. All music, both instrumental and vocal, must be submitted to the Pastor and Parish Musician for approval during the process of planning your wedding.

If you need the services of the Parish Musician, we ask that you contact her in a timely fashion to confirm her availability and begin the process of music selection. Please call the church office.  The Parish Musician has the right of first refusal to play Faith’s musical instruments (organ and piano) for your wedding.

Photography

We recognize that photographs and other permanent records of your wedding service are part of our shared work of strengthening the new family.  But, we urge you to remember that your wedding service is a worship service, not a media event or photo-opportunity.  We urge you to remember that the wedding party, their guests, musicians, and soloists are there to witness the couple’s promises to one another and show their support.  Accordingly, they need to be able to see the service clearly without being distracted.

There is to be no flash photography during the service, either by professionals or wedding guests. If your camera equipment makes sounds (“click-whirr” and the like) we ask you to do your best to turn off or muffle them.  Photographers (including videographers) must stay entirely out of the chancel area (the raised area at the front of the worship space) during the service.  The time professional photographers and videographers spend standing in the aisles or anywhere between the wedding party and the guests must be very limited, to avoid distracting people and blocking their view.  In particular, distractions during the exchange of vows should be minimal – stay out of the center or front aisle during that time.

Photographers are welcome to use the choir loft at any time, as long as their activities do not distract musicians or soloists, or interfere with their instruments or their playing. If you plan to use the choir loft, please look around ahead of time and discuss your planned activities with the Parish Musician. Flash photography is not allowed from the choir loft during the service.

After your service we are delighted to allow time for photographs, with flash, at any safe place in the church, and to cooperate in posing for those photographs. Out of courtesy to our pastor and Parish Musician, please plan to take any photographs that require their presence first.

Bulletins (Programs)

If you would like to have the church prepare your wedding bulletins we can do that.  We need to have all the material to be printed (wedding party names, readings, etc.) two weeks prior to your wedding date. You may purchase the paper for the bulletin blanks yourself or allow us to do it for you and bill you at cost.

Decorum and Safety

A preparation area for the bridal party is available, on request, in the church office area.

Flowers and other decorations placed on the Holy Communion table or anywhere in the chancel (the raised area at the front of the church) are subject to the approval of the pastor, because the furnishings in that area are sacred. We strongly prefer to avoid artificial flowers on the table and in the chancel.

Wedding guests may not enter the Choir Loft unless arrangements are made during the planning of your service.

Helium balloons may not be released. Nothing, not rice, flowers, or confetti, may be thrown at the couple  or anyone else entering or leaving the church.  Soap bubbles are acceptable.