Congratulations!!!
The decision to get married is one of the most exciting decisions you will ever make! As you begin to make preparations, thank you for considering First Baptist as a location for the service! We are a great Christian community who can support you before, during, and after your wedding.
Choosing a church wedding is an important decision. Getting married at church is different from a civil ceremony. A church wedding is a worship service. And in a church wedding you are making your vows to one another — and also to God.
It makes sense, then, that those who believe in God and want to follow His principles should have a church wedding! As you consider getting married at First Baptist, you will wish to discuss your spiritual journeys with one of the pastors. They would be delighted to help you better understand the Christian faith and explain the significance of Christian marriage.
At First Baptist we celebrate weddings with people who either (1) have a meaningful connection to this church, or (2) are willing to explore their faith in the context of our church. You will be encouraged to attend some of our regular activities (such as Sunday worship services) so that we can support you and you can to get to know us.
As a church family, we take seriously our responsibility to people who are married within our church: we want to do all we can to bless your marriage and encourage you! We see our church life holistically – if you are married here we want you to be part of our community so we can support and encourage you in your new life together.
Steps to Take
How to do you go about making arrangements?
- Contact one of the pastor(s)! We would love to talk about your spiritual journey, your relationship with one another, your wedding plans, and to explore whether a wedding at First B is right for you. All weddings at the church need to be conducted by one of the pastors at First B. Because we see every wedding as an important part of our church family life, it just makes sense that your service is officiated by one of our staff. (This is also an insurance and liability requirement).
- The pastor will also want to talk with you about marriage preparation. We want your marriage to be a fantastic one, so we will work with you through some exercises to help you grow your relationship and prepare well for your marriage. Couples really enjoy getting to know one another better and talking about their marriage plans together.
- If you are not already a regular attender at First B, we encourage you to attend some of our programmes (Sunday services are a great place to start). We see weddings as just one part of our holistic church life – we want to get to know you and care for you as part of God’s family.
- After you have met with the pastor and feel this is right for you, please fill out an “Application for Use of Church Facility” form at the church office to book your wedding date and time.
- You will need to obtain a marriage license from a registry office and give it to the officiating pastor well before the wedding.
- Unfortunately, we do not have facilities to host receptions at the church.
Costs
Because we see weddings as an integral part of who we are as a church, we do not charge a rental fee for use of the building. If you wish, in lieu of a set fee, you may make a donation to the church.
We do require modest honoraria for the people who invest extra time and effort in your wedding. The church office can provide details.
A Damage Deposit is also required when the church is booked. This is returned in full if no damage has occurred to the church.