Christian marriage involves a covenant of intimate love and trust that is interpreted by God’s love for all persons through Jesus Christ. The wedding in a church is primarily a Worship Service – a celebration of the Gospel.
It is the desire of First United Methodist Church, its ministers, and its staff to make every wedding a memorable event, beautiful and meaningful, and to extend every possible courtesy to wedding parties.
The following guidelines have been adopted to establish a procedure for scheduling and planning weddings in First United Methodist Church and to make available to bridal parties the accepted customs of the Church.
First Steps
- Wedding Request Form (PDF format)
- Make reservations for and schedule meetings with:
- Minister (contact Office Assistant, Caitlin McNeely)
- Sanctuary or Chapel (contact Office Assistant, Caitlin McNeely)
Making Reservations
A reservation will be confirmed only when one of the ministers has been scheduled to officiate at the wedding. The exact hour of rehearsal and wedding should be fixed at the time that the sanctuary, chapel, or any other room is reserved. A minister from another church is welcome to assist in the wedding ceremony, provided permission is first obtained from the Senior Pastor, John McLarty.
Please note: A United Methodist Minister is under obligation by The Book of Discipline to help people prepare for marriage. Thus, a pre-wedding conference with the bride and groom is necessary.
Unless either the bride or the groom, or their parents or legal guardians, are members of First United Methodist Church at the time of the scheduling, the wedding is regarded as one of non-members. In cases of conflicting dates, members will be given priority.
No weddings will be scheduled on Sundays, Christmas Day, the weekend before Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Holy Week, Easter Day, or National Holidays.
Facilities
The Sanctuary and Chapel are the two areas available in the church in which weddings are held. The Sanctuary seats 1,200 and the Chapel seats 65. Bride’s and groom’s rooms are available for both Sanctuary and Chapel weddings.
The Prothro Family Atrium and Fellowship Hall are available for receptions.