Weddings at Central Christian Church

PLANNING YOUR WEDDING CEREMONY

A Christian wedding, conducted in a church, is a worship service in which God is to be praised and glorified and God's truths as set forth in the Scriptures are to be proclaimed. We come to God's house to seek God's blessing. The following guidelines are offered to help you plan a service which honors the Christian tradition and at the same time makes the ceremony your own. The officiating minister will be happy to respond to any questions or concerns you have about the guidelines which are intended to help plan your wedding.

1) Customizing the service
No two wedding ceremonies need to be identical. Even when the traditional ceremony is planned, many of the elements of the service are specifically planned for the couple to be married. The officiating minister will discuss your preferences and any special features you want to include in the ceremony. In keeping with thetraditions of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) the Lord's Supper may be included as the climax to the service as long as all believers present are invited to partake of the bread and the cup.

2) Selecting music (Please read this section carefully).
Because your wedding in this church is a sacred event rather than a social occasion, music appropriate for the worship of God must be selected. Your decision to marry at Central Christian Church implies that you have read these policies and understood them and that you agree to follow them.

a. Music selected must be appropriate for a worship service in God's house, and must be approved by the officiating pastor.

b. Popular songs, musical show tunes, movie themes, rock music, top 40 , "easy listening," and romantic favorites are excellent choices to be played at your wedding reception but are not appropriate for the worship of God in the church. If you feel strongly about the music to be selected for your wedding, you may want to talk with the officiating minister before you make a final decision about having your wedding in the sanctuary or chapel

c. The use of outside instrumentalists (string quartet, brass, guitar, harp, etc.) is permitted in both the sanctuary and the chapel with one restriction: only acoustic instruments will be allowed. No electric or amplified instruments may be used in the sanctuary or chapel. No pre-recorded music may be played at your wedding. No sound equipment (record players, tape or CD players, etc.) may be brought into the sanctuary or chapel.

d. Only the church organist is permitted to play Central's pipe organ for any wedding in the sanctuary. If the organist is not available, the officiating minister will help you to secure an organist. Central's organist is Leslie Peart. He may be contacted by e-mail at peartorg@aol.com

e. If you wish the church to obtain a vocalist for your wedding, please make your request to the officiating minister. If you select your own vocalist, it is your responsibility to see that the soloist contacts the church organist in sufficient time to approve the vocal selections and set up a rehearsal time. There is a $35 fee for each rehearsal with the organist. It is the responsibility of the soloist to provide copies of the music to be sung (in the appropriate key) for use at the wedding. These copies will be returned to the soloist following the ceremony. The organist will not transpose the keys of any vocal music without an additional fee. Remember that photocopies of copyrighted music are illegal and may not be used. Vocalists may use stationary microphones at the pulpit or lectern. Hand-held microphones may not be used.

f. The officiating minister or the church organist stand ready to assist you in selecting appropriate and beautiful music for the wedding. Plan to meet with the organist to select music for your wedding at least one month before the ceremony.

3) The Wedding Rehearsal
Weddings with more than two honor attendants will require that a rehearsal be scheduled. If a beautiful, relaxed and graceful ceremony is desired, everyone in the wedding party (including ushers, parents of the bride and groom as well as grandparents) should be present and prompt.

Normally, if everyone is on time, the rehearsal takes no longer than an hour. Rehearsal time for the organist, guest musicians, and/or soloists is usually arranged for a time other than when the rehearsal is scheduled.

4) Members of the Wedding Party
There is no "correct" number of attendants. Usually there are honor attendants (maid/matron of honor and best man) and groomsmen and bridesmaids of an equal number.

Children may serve in the wedding party as flower girls or ring bearer, but it is strongly advised that only children over 6 years of age participate. You will also want to select a guest book hostess and ushers. We recommend one usher for every fifty guests expected at the wedding. (Groomsmen sometimes double as ushers.)

5) Making arrangements with the florist
In contracting the services of a florist, it is important to keep the following guidelines in mind:

a. The church does not require any flowers to be used in a wedding, but any number or type of real or silk flowers may be used in any arrangement that is in good taste.

b. Decorations may not be fastened to any permanent furniture by means of nails, staples, screws, wires or clamps. Decorations may not hide from clear view the worship symbols in the chancel including the cross, the Bible, the Lord's Table, the pulpit, and the lectern.

c. Decorations are permitted which can be tied with ribbon or set upon the floor or attached with masking tape to existing furniture. There are 27 pews on each side of the sanctuary on the main floor

d. All furniture in the chancel will be left in its customary place for weddings as well as communion ware and all paraments suitable for the season of the church year.

e. An aisle cloth (a white cloth covering for the center aisle --no plastic, please) may be used if rented from a florist. The aisle, however, is carpeted and this additional expense is not necessary. The sanctuary aisle is 95 feet long; 115 feet long if steps into the chancel are included.

f. The church owns a Prie Dieu (kneeling bench), two brass candelabra on stands and a unity candle stand which may be used without additional cost.

g. Only drip-less wax candles in "hurricane lamps" may be used on pew ends. A unity candle is permitted on the Lord's Table, but other decorations are not used on the Table.

6) Photography
Realizing that preserving memories of the wedding service is important, you may want to make arrangements for photography and perhaps video-taping the service. Since the wedding is a religious service, amateur and professional photographers alike are encouraged to maintain proper respect for the service and the sacredness of the place in which it is held.

a. No flash bulbs or photoflood lamps may be used in the sanctuary after the processional ends and until the recessional begins.

b. Video-taping from a stationary location is permissible so long as the equipment operator tapes from an assigned location in the balcony, at the sound booth, or in the choir loft. (The video-tape operator should plan to be present at the wedding rehearsal so that the officiating minister may advise the operator as to appropriate procedure and location for video-taping.)

c. We encourage you to discuss with the photographer, well in advance of the service, which particular pictures you want. Be sure to inform those in the wedding party where and when to be present for the pictures. It is quite appropriate to schedule all photographs prior to the wedding.

d. Pictures taken in the sanctuary before the wedding must be completed at least half an hour prior to the service so that guests may be seated

e.. If the officiating minister is to be in a picture, that picture should be taken prior to the wedding or immediately following it.

7) The invitations
The proper name of the church to use on invitations is "Central Christian Church." The address is 650 West William Street, Decatur, Illinois. If a reception is to be held at the church, it will be held in "The Great Hall."

8) Dressing at the Church
Various rooms of the church are reserved the day of the wedding for use of the wedding party for dressing. The bride's room, adjacent to the Ladies' Lounge, is available for the bride and her attendants. The Disciple classroom is reserved for the groom and his attendants. Other rooms will be made available as needed.

Often the groom and groomsmen come to the church already dressed for the occasion. The bride and bridesmaids may wish to change into their wedding attire at the church. Dresses may be delivered to the church before the wedding or brought at the time of the wedding. An hour's time for dressing is usually sufficient, although more time should be allotted if pictures are to be taken before the ceremony. Coats, clothes, and other articles may be left in the dressing room during the ceremony, but all items should be picked up at the time the wedding party leaves the church.

Remember that Central's campus is smoke-free and intoxicant-free.

9) Other General Information
a. The seating capacity for the Sanctuary is 700 if the balcony is included. Seating capacity for the Chapel is 40.

b. No intoxicants may be used in any form at the rehearsal, the wedding, or any reception at the church. Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside the church building. If intoxicants are brought into the church or if any member of the wedding party is under their influence, the rehearsal or the wedding may be canceled by the officiating minister.

c. If birdseed, grass seed, or the like are to be thrown or bubbles used, they must be distributed and used outside the building. Packets or bags should be given to the guests as they step outside the church building and not before the ceremony or during the reception. Throwing rice is not an option. No helium-filled balloons may be used inside the church building because of interference with the security system and are not recommended outside due to the ecological impact they may cause. Flower petals may not be strewn inside the sanctuary unless they are made of silk.

Couples desiring to have their wedding reception here at the church should confer with either the Wedding Coordinator or the officiating minister. The minister will advise you of current policies and guidelines

The Central Pastors' Guide to Weddings

Scheduling and Fees	Visiting Pastors	Music	Great Start (Counseling)
Planning Your Ceremony	Flowers	Photography	Marriage License Information

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Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
650 West William Street
Decatur, Illinois 62522
(217) 428-4336