|
Wedding Brochure
Who to contact: Nancy Clemens,
Wedding Secretary (626) 282-4181
Ministers
Marriage services are conducted by one of the members of our clergy staff. You should contact the minister officiating at your wedding as soon as possible so that premarital counseling appointments can be made.
Wedding Staff
Our professional wedding staff consists of our Wedding Director, Wedding Secretary, three Wedding Coordinators, and the Coordinator of Music Ministry.
Wedding Secretary
The Wedding Secretary, Nancy Clemens, will be the first person you should contact. She will answer all of your questions and concerns including availability of dates, our ministerial staff, and all matters concerning church procedures, policies and fees. She can be reached through the church office.
It is advisable that you carefully read this wedding brochure, which should explain everything having to do with being married at our church.
You will be asked to fill out and return to the church two forms, "Wedding Information" (white) and "Wedding Application" (pink). When you feel totally comfortable about accepting our church wedding policies, return both forms along with a nonrefundable deposit to the church office.
If you mail the forms they should be addressed to the Wedding Secretary.
It is not unusual for us to book two or three weddings on the same day. We allow three hours between the conclusion of one wedding and the beginning of another. In order to provide adequate preparation of floral arrangements, it is necessary that you share flowers with a bride whose service may precede or follow yours.
Wedding Coordinators
You may request or be assigned the services of one of our Wedding Coordinators. Each has had years of experience in handling and directing our wedding ceremonies.
As soon as you have received the coordinator's name and telephone number from the Wedding Secretary, you may call and discuss with her your thoughts and ideas. She will, in turn, be most helpful in suggesting florists and photographers who will cooperate with our guidelines and restrictions.
The Wedding Coordinator will discuss a workable timetable for you to pass along to all members of the wedding party. The time schedule will be announced at the beginning of each rehearsal.
Organist And Music
The Directory of Worship of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) offers the following counsel regarding music in the wedding service:
"music that accompanies the ceremony should direct attention to God, who sanctifies marriage, and special care should be taken to assure that it is suitable and reverent." The Coordinator of Music Ministry will be happy to share her professional experience with you so that the music selected for your service reaches this standard while adding both beauty and dignity to the service.
Prelude Music
Prelude Music will generally be played on the organ; however, it is acceptable to use other instruments. The organ will be used for the processional, recessional and incidental music.
Vocal Solos
San Marino Community Church employs professional soloists and it is our policy that these people be used for any solo music used during the service. (A list of soloists is available with this brochure.) If you have family members or friends whom you would like to sing or provide some other form of musical entertainment, we suggest you have them perform at the rehearsal dinner, wedding reception or other festive gatherings associated with the occasion. Planning on this early will avoid last minute disappointment. The placement of musical selections will be arranged during your counseling time with the Coordinator of Music Ministry.
Soloists are not permitted to use microphones or tape accompaniment. Solos during the ceremony should be accompanied on the organ.
Rehearsal with the organist will begin one hour before the wedding, and must conclude thirty (30) minutes before the wedding.
Congregational Singing
The Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) advises:
"Music suitable for the marriage service directs attention to God and expresses the faith of the church. The congregation may join in hymns and other musical forms of praise and prayer."
Congregational singing is a vital part of corporate worship, and a wonderful way to include your family and friends in this special service. The following are suggested hymns appropriate for the Wedding Ceremony:
All Creatures of our God and King
If You Will Only Let God Guide You
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Now Thank We All Our God
O God, Our Help in Ages Past
Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven
Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart
Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above
The God of Abraham Praise
The Lord's My Shepherd
Be Thou My Vision
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
For the Beauty of the Earth
We Gather Together to Ask the Lord's Blessing
Holy, Holy, Holy
Secular Music
Because of the nature of congregational worship, please refrain from requesting secular love songs, popular favorites (instrumental or vocal), Top-40's hits, or so-called "Contemporary Christian" music. Although personal favorites are difficult to refuse, the inclusion of such selections is contrary to the sacredness of the worship service in which the wedding ceremony takes place. Since these songs recall secular or social occasions, we recommend they be played at the reception. Planning on this early will avoid last minute disappointment.
Rehearsals
The Wedding Coordinator is in charge of coordinating and directing all wedding rehearsals. We encourage scheduling rehearsals on Thursday or Friday evenings no later than 6:00 PM.
Only one rehearsal may be scheduled on Thursday evenings.
It is important for you to understand that a normal rehearsal is about one and one-half hour in length. A half hour of each rehearsal is often lost by waiting for late arrivals of the wedding party. This should be kept in mind when you are planning the time of your rehearsal. Therefore, it goes without saying that promptness is helpful and appreciated.
Receptions
Only member families of San Marino Community Church may hold receptions in Fellowship Hall or in the courtyard. They are responsible for securing their own caterers, and for making arrangements for food services and decorations. The Wedding Coordinator may be consulted for the names of caterers. A fee is charged for all church receptions.
Flowers and Decorations
The wedding staff has a recommended list of florists to provide flowers for chancel boxes and aisle. We strongly encourage you to use a recommended florist. In our experience we have learned that certain florists know our facilities well and provide a very high quality display for our weddings.
A floral arrangement not to exceed twenty-four inches in height and thirty-six inches in length may be placed in the chancel on the retable. A floral arrangement not to exceed fifteen inches in height and covering its full length may be placed across the chancel railing.
Flower and Decoration Restrictions
The use of nails, screws, and wire in decorating is strictly forbidden. No decoration of any kind may be placed on the pulpit, lectern, organ console, piano, baptismal font, or on the choir pews in the Chancel. Florists must be expressly forbidden from placing items of any kind on the piano or organ console in the course of floral installation. All aisle bows and ribbons should be white. There are twenty-four rows of pews. It is necessary to notify the Wedding Coordinator as to the time when the flowers will be delivered. Florists are asked to enter the north Sanctuary door nearest the Chapel. Parking is available in the adjoining driveway. All personal bridal flowers are to be left outside the Bride's Room. Florists must leave the church cleaned/vacuumed, and be finished with their decorating one and one-half hour prior to the wedding. All flowers within the Chancel must remain for Sunday worship service. Chapel wedding flowers may be taken immediately following the ceremony. We only allow the use of cloth aisle runners. They are provided by the florist. The aisle runner must be one hundred twenty feet long. A kneeling bench is provided for all Sanctuary weddings, but is not used in Chapel weddings.
Candles
If candles are used in aisle decorations, a permit must be obtained by the bride from the San Marino Fire Department and given to the Wedding Coordinator prior to the wedding rehearsal. Candles may also be used with flowers in the Chancel boxes. Aisle candlesticks may be rented from the church.
Two antique candelabras are available at no extra charge. A Unity Candle is available upon request for Sanctuary and Chancel weddings. The church provides candles for the candelabras and Unity Candle.
Photography and Video
Photography
The majority of our brides choose photographers who are very professional in their appearance, manner, conduct, and above all, in their product. Therefore, it is imperative that the following requirements be fully understood before your photographer's contract is signed:
-
Coats and ties are worn at all weddings.
-
The bride's portrait and those of the bridesmaids are taken in the garden area nearest to the Bride's Room and in the courtyard. The Bride's Room is also used. Mothers, grandmothers and fathers have pictures taken in these areas.
-
The bride and bridesmaids arrive with hair and makeup finished, ready to dress in the Bride's Room, one and one-half hour prior to the start of the wedding. All personal articles must be removed from the Bride's Room before the wedding begins.
-
The groom and groomsmen arrive one hour before the wedding, dressed, with coats on hangers. Boutonnieres will be pinned on by the Wedding Coordinator or photographer. All pictures of the men are taken in the church courtyard.
-
The preliminary photography must be completed one-half hour before the service begins. The remaining time is spent finishing pictures in the Bride's Room area.
-
The last flash pictures may be taken just after the bride begins her walk down the aisle with her escort. Flash photography is prohibited after that point.
-
The photographer must remain at the rear of the church and take only a few shots of time-exposed pictures during the ceremony.
-
After the ceremony, a flash picture may be taken by the photographer when the bride and groom are three quarters of the way up the aisle. The photographer then leads the bridal party to a chosen location. The majority of bridal parties wish to return to the Sanctuary; however, very often during the summer months, photographers choose to take their group pictures in the courtyard or in the front lawn area of the church.
-
If a picture is wanted with the minister, this should be the first picture taken after the service.
-
Following a wedding, only thirty minutes may be spent on photographs. It is very helpful if a list of group photos is given to the photographer in advance.
-
On occasion, the bride and groom and all members of the bridal party and their family members choose to take all pictures before the wedding service. These pictures may be taken beginning one and one-half hour before the service and must be completed one-half hour before the service begins. The bride, bridesmaids, mothers and grandmothers must then proceed to the Bride's Room area. After the wedding, all members of the bridal party are ready to proceed immediately to the reception.
Video
Video camera operators frequently express concern for the light level in our Sanctuary. It is very important that the video operators introduce themselves to the Wedding Coordinator and accept their limitations regarding lighting and equipment placement. The video operators must remain at the rear of the church and may not move during the service. No video taping is allowed in the Chancel prior to or during the service. No artificial lighting can be used once the service has begun.
If any video operator or photographer fails to comply with our rules concerning equipment placement and the use of flash or artificial lighting, the minister may delay or interrupt the wedding service until corrective action is taken. Needless to say, it would be very regrettable if such a situation occurred.
Our Wedding Coordinators can recommend professional photographers and video operators who have worked at our church and are willing to adhere to our regulations. We strongly encourage you to use someone from our recommended list.
Other Policies and Restrictions
-
Because of the busy Sunday schedule of our church, no Sunday weddings or receptions are held.
-
No weddings or rehearsals may be scheduled for the Saturday immediately preceding Palm Sunday, Easter, during Advent or at Christmas.
-
You may Not Smoke in any of the church buildings.
-
No Alcoholic Beverages are permitted on church property. No person under the influence of alcohol may be present at the wedding, rehearsal or reception at the church.
-
No Rice Or Confetti, or the like, may be thrown in or around the church property.
-
Helium Balloons are prohibited inside the sanctuary.
It is the responsibility of the bride to fully understand, accept and communicate all of the restrictions which have been placed upon her selected florist, photographer, video operators and soloists/musicians. This should be clearly understood before returning the wedding information forms and deposit.
|
