Minister

          Our Senior Minister or Mr. Bill Anderson, Associate Minister will officiate all weddings held in our sanctuary.  A visiting minister may assist, upon approval of the Senior Minister.

          It is the policy of the ministers to counsel with the bride and groom as soon as possible after the wedding is booked for a minimum of two sessions.  Additional counseling may be recommended.  Please make this appointment by calling the church office at 253-0811.  It is our desire for your wedding to be one of the most significant moments of your lives; therefore, do not hesitate to ask questions of the minister.

Wedding Coordinator

     Our Wedding Coordinator works with the minister to direct the rehearsal and the wedding.  She is familiar with the policies of the church and what items and decorations are appropriate and available for use in your wedding.  Please contact the coordinator at (813) 253-0811.  If a professional wedding consultant is to assist the bride and her attendants, the consultant shall be responsible to the church Wedding Coordinator during the rehearsal and wedding.

The Wedding Ceremony

The wedding ceremony is a service of worship conducted by the ministers and under their supervision. 

The ceremony will not be performed if:

The marriage license is not provided at the rehearsal or prior to the wedding.

The balance is not paid two full weeks prior to the wedding.

The wedding party is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The Wedding Party

          Members of the wedding party will recognize that this is a church and will   conduct themselves in a manner befitting a place of worship.

          Immediately prior to both the rehearsal and the wedding, members of the  wedding party will refrain from the use of alcoholic beverages.  Smoking and    alcohol are not permitted anywhere in the church buildings or on the property.  Confetti and rice are not to be thrown at any time.  It is the obligation of the bride and groom to make certain that these policies are made known to and followed by all members of the wedding party.

          The church parlor is available for the bride and her attendants in preparation for the wedding ceremony.  Please do not leave valuables, cash, jewelry, and purses unattended.  The church cannot be held responsible for personal belongings.

          The bride and groom shall be responsible for any damages to church property.

Reception

If the wedding is followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall on Saturday evening ample time is needed by the custodian to prepare the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall for Sunday morning worship.  All members of the wedding party and guests must be out of the church buildings no later than 10:30 p.m.

Decorations

     Our sanctuary is furnished as a place of dignity and beauty.  It needs not be elaborately decorated.

     If you or your florist is to provide candles, only dripless candles may be used, unless plastic sheeting is placed under the candelabras to protect the carpet.    Dripless candles must be provided by the bride.  In the placing of flowers, trees, plants, or other decorations, care must be taken to ensure that the floors, carpet, walls, and furnishings are not damaged.  No decorations should be on or blocking the communion table, except for the unity candle or other items with approval of the minister or wedding coordinator.

     The florist engaged by the bride and/or groom shall be responsible for all decorating and must remove all decorations immediately following the wedding.  The church custodian will have the sanctuary open 1-1/2 hours prior to the wedding for this purpose.  Please let the wedding coordinator know if you wish to use the church candelabras