Wedding Guidelines
Your wedding is a sacred occasion, a worship service of the church in which you shall enter into a covenant with almighty God. For that reason, the following statements will govern your plans for your wedding here at WHETSTONE CHRISTIAN CHURCH of Anderson, Indiana. We sincerely believe these policies to be the most suitable and practical for all concerned. There are, therefore, no exceptions to these provisions. Please read them carefully and return the required forms promptly.
1. SETTING THE TIME OF YOUR WEDDING:
Careful planning is necessary for all weddings. You will want to plan as early in advance as possible so that the use of the church space can be arranged without conflict.
AT LEAST SIX WEEKS IN ADVANCE, the date of the wedding is set in consultation with the Senior Pastor, who will clear the date and enter it upon the church calendar. At this consultation you will fill out the various information forms, fill out the wedding date reservation form and make arrangements for your pre-marriage conferences as required by the minister officiating at the wedding.
It is extremely important that the exact time indicated for the pre-marriage conferences, rehearsal, and wedding be observed and care should be taken to have all members of the wedding party in their place at the time indicated.
Weddings are normally held in the sanctuary. If the bride wishes to have it in a private home or elsewhere, she needs to check with the minister as to his availability and agreement to preside.
2. YOUR WEDDING MUSIC:
It is important to keep in mind that a church wedding is a worship service of the church, and the music should be in keeping with the reverence that is observed upon entering the House of the Lord. The bride is to discuss with the minister the musicians who will take part in the wedding and the music to be played. It is the bride's responsibility to contact the organist and soloist, who will in turn contact the minister, in regard to the wedding ceremony and its musical setting.
Arrangements for music to be played at any reception held on church property must also be approved by the pastor.
3. PHOTOGRAPHERS:
If it is desired to have pictures, it is the responsibility of the bride to instruct the photographer that NO FLASH PICTURES ARE PERMISSIBLE IN THE SANCTUARY ONCE THE CEREMONY BEGINS. (Pictures of bride entering and leaving excepted.) A time exposure of the ceremony itself may be taken unobtrusively. Pictures may be taken of the bridal party following the completion of the service. The photographer and bridal party should, however, remember the wedding guests awaiting the reception and every effort should be made not to delay the reception longer than absolutely necessary.
4. FLOWERS AND DECORATIONS:
The church offers a setting for the sacred service of marriage which is dignified and beautiful. A minimum of decorations is required and this should be carefully planned. It is the responsibility of the bride's family to arrange with a florist or others for decorations.
Florist or others who decorate the church for a wedding shall be responsible for any and all damage caused by faulty installation and for the cleaning of wax from all floor coverings and furniture that has come from candles provided by them.
Under no condition shall decorations be attached to the pews or other furniture by pinning, gluing or nailing.
All decorations, flowers, palms, and other equipment shall be removed from the church building following its use, so as not to interfere with the scheduled services of the church.
Florist and their employees must refrain from the use of irreverent language, discourteous actions or smoking inside the church building.
The minister is to be consulted before moving any furniture or church owned equipment.
5. The church is to be considered as the House of the Lord, therefore:
a. Smoking is not allowed in any part of the building.
b. Alcoholic beverages will not be served or consumed on Church property.
c. All language and conduct will be in keeping with Christian principles.
d. The membership of the WHETSTONE CHRISTIAN CHURCH recognizes the professional integrity of it's Ministers and therefore neither requires nor restricts their performance of wedding ceremonies. Pre-marriage counseling is required.
6. FEES:
A. WHEN EITHER OF BOTH FAMILIES ARE ACTIVE MEMBERS of the WHETSTONE CHRISTIAN CHURCH there will be no charge for church facilities but due to additional services required of the organist and custodian, the following charges will be made:
|
| ORGANIST | CUSTODIAN | SOUND SYSTEM | TOTAL |
| Wedding only | $50.00 | $30.00 | 25.00 | $105.00 |
| Wedding & Rehearsal | $60.00 | $40.00 | $25.00 | $125.00 |
| Wedding, Rehearsal & Reception | $60.00 | $80.00 | $25.00 | $165.00 |
If you have more than one musician, it is $50 or $60 per music
B. Fees for the organist should be made payable to the organist,
Barbara Weber or Becky Jacobs.
Fees for the custodian should be made payable to the custodian,
Kelley Smith.
Fees for the sound system should be made payable to the technician.
ALL FEES MUST BE GIVEN TO THE MINISTER AT THE TIME OF THE REHEARSAL OR BEFORE. IF THERE IS NO REHEARSAL, THEY MUST BE GIVEN TO THE MINISTER PRIOR TO THE WEDDING.
C. NON-MEMBERS....When neither family is an active member of Whetstone Christian Church, the following charges will be made:
|
| CHURCH | ORGANIST | CUSTODIAN | SOUND SYSTEM | TOTAL |
| Wedding only | $250.00 | $50.00 | $30.00 | 25.00 | $355.00 |
| Wedding & Rehearsal | $300.00 | $60.00 | $40.00 | $25.00 | $425.00 |
| Wedding, Rehearsal & Reception | $450.00 | $60.00 | $100.00 | $25.00 | $615.00 |
Church instruments are to be played by Church Musicians only. Keyboard and piano have the same fees as organist. Each musician is paid the same as the organist.
The Pastor's fee is $200 which includes 5 counseling sessions, rehearsal and the wedding.
D. Fees for the organist should be made payable to the organist.
Fees for the custodian should be made payable to the custodian.
Fees for the church should be made payable to WHETSTONE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
Fees for the pastor should be made payable to the pastor, Rev. Stephen P. Gettinger.
Fees for the sound system should be made payable to the technician.
ALL FEES MUST BE GIVEN TO THE MINISTER AT THE TIME OF THE
REHEARSAL OR BEFORE. IF THERE IS NO REHEARSAL, THEY MUST
BE GIVEN TO THE MINISTER PRIOR TO THE WEDDING.
E. The person or persons making reservations for the wedding will be responsible for any breakage or damage to equipment, furniture or furnishings unless otherwise stated in the "Wedding Policy" of Whetstone Christian Church.
7. RECEPTION:
A. The bride shall be responsible for any decorations on the serving and gift table.
The bride shall be responsible for selecting those who will serve the refreshments; collect and wash the dishes, etc. The bride shall purchase her own cake, refreshments, mints, etc.
B. If a caterer is engaged, they are to furnish their own linens, etc., and to be governed by the "Wedding Policy" of the WHETSTONE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
C. If the reception is held in the church basement, there is no dancing allowed. You may have this type of reception with dancing in the Grile Memorial Building.
8. This wedding policy adopted by the congregation of the WHETSTONE CHRISTIAN CHURCH as the official policy of the church: 4-9-84; revised 7-13-98 and 1-14-2005.
All members of the bridal party (bride, groom, best man, maid/matron of honor, bridesmaids, groomsmen, ushers, ring bearer, flower girl, etc.) should be present for the wedding rehearsal, including the parents of the bride and groom. It is not necessary for the soloist to be present, but the organist should be at the rehearsal (usually the organist and the soloist will practice together at a time convenient for the both of them.)
Rehearsals usually take about one hour.
The church is open from 9:00 a.m. - noon & 1:00 - 3:30 p.m., Mon. - Fri.; Please arrange for all deliveries (florist, baker, etc.) to be made during these hours unless you have made arrangements in advance.
WHETSTONE CHRISTIAN CHURCH is not to be held responsible for wedding decorations, reception supplies, your clothing, etc., left unattended.
Please bring your marriage license to the rehearsal and give it to the Minister at that time and allow time for completion of its requirements. If there is no scheduled rehearsal, you should bring the marriage license to the church office, at least one day before the wedding date.