Wedding PolicyTrinity Lutheran Church1003 S. Maple St.Traverse City, MI 49684(231) 946-2720The purpose of this policy: The Pastors and people of Trinity Lutheran Church want your wedding day to be meaningful and beautiful. Society today has a lot of pressures that commercialize and trivialize the beauty of a Christian wedding. These need to be avoided. In addition, most couples do not know what to expect of the congregation or Pastor or what is expected of them. In order to assure that we are working together with the same expectations of one another, the following wedding policy has been developed. The Pastor will be happy to explain the rationale behind each of these points to you. But please understand, these policies are developed from the Word of God and in some cases are the result of past abuses. They are not negotiable.Please place a check mark next to each item to indicate your understanding of the congregation’s wedding policy.The Status of the Bride and Groomq Under normal circumstances, weddings will be consecrated only when at least one participant (Bride or Groom) is a member of this congregation. Exceptions shall be made only for those who are members of a sister congregation, if both participants are moving toward church membership or if highly unusual circumstances can be demonstrated.q Both the Bride and the Groom must be Christians. If one is not a member of an LCMS congregation, they must agree to allow the other to continue to worship and support this or another LCMS congregation. q All persons married at Trinity must complete a course of premarital counseling. This is not psychological counseling. It is a series of discussions about the meaning of marriage according to the Word of God. This will never be less than four one-hour sessions, in most cases it will be longer. IMPORTANT NOTE: Neither the Pastors nor Trinity Lutheran Church commit themselves to conduct a wedding or reserve a wedding date until completion of premarital counseling and any other arrangements the Pastor may stipulate. q Cohabitation before marriage is unwise and in most cases sinful. Couples to be married at Trinity should seek other living arrangements until their wedding. Where rare circumstances make other arrangements impossible, the couple must promise to remain celibate until after their wedding. This promise of celibacy is expected of all premarital couples. q Where one or both of the parties to the wedding are divorced, the marriage will be allowed only under the circumstances permitted by Scripture. q A Christian marriage is the blessed, lifelong union of one man and one woman. The Conduct of the Serviceq A Christian wedding is a worship service, conducted according to the standards of a worship service. The service will be worshipfully conducted in tone and character. q Photographers must strictly follow the congregation’s policy concerning wedding pictures. No flash photography will be permitted by anyone once the service begins. q Alterations to the standard wedding service are strongly discouraged. They will be allowed only with the approval of the Senior Pastor. q Since the wedding is a worship service, no strictly secular music will be permitted. This includes, “Here Comes the Bride”. Not all music that speaks of God is appropriate either. Only such music as is fitting for the public worship of the Holy Trinity will be permitted and must be approved in advance by the Pastor. q Arrangements with the organist or other musicians shall be made by the Bride and Groom in cooperation with Trinity’s Music Director. Musicians should not bear any out of pocket expense for special music. An organist fee is included in Trinity’s standard wedding fee schedule. q Only clergy of church in fellowship with Trinity Lutheran Church, Traverse City, MI may participate in the wedding. No vested clergy may participate without the consent of the Senior Pastor and elders of Trinity. A Pastor of Trinity will be the presiding minister at any wedding conducted at Trinity. q Clandestine (secret or concealed) weddings are not permitted. Weddings in violation of the fourth commandment are not permitted. Minor children may not be married without parental consent and all couples must present a valid wedding license to demonstrate the consent of the government. q Rehearsals are generally scheduled for 6pm the evening before the wedding. Every effort should be made to insure the attendance of the entire wedding party at the rehearsal. q Saturday weddings may not start after 3:30 pm. No weddings will be scheduled for Holy Week. Weddings are strongly discouraged during the seasons of Advent and Lent and on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. Decoration of the Church and use of the Church Building q The entire church building and grounds are the house of God. The behavior of all parties involved in the wedding should be fitting and proper. No one should enter the chancel (altar) area without permission of the presiding Pastor. Alcohol is not permitted in the building or on the grounds. No smoking is permitted in the building. q The Bride and Groom are responsible to insure that the church building is clean and presentable for the next service of God’s house following their wedding. q Throwing of rice, birdseed, confetti, etc. is not permitted in the building or on the church grounds. q All decorations and dress must be in good taste and suitable for a worship service in God’s house. The Senior Pastor will have final discretion concerning the propriety of decorations or dress. q Flower arrangements and decorations must conform to the congregation’s policy (see handout). q If a unity candle is used, the couple must supply this. q Nothing that leaves marks, holes or otherwise mars the building or furnishings of the church is permitted. Fees, Gratuities and Contactsq Fees and gratuities are payable according to the most recently published fee schedule. After the initial meeting with the Pastor, the information form and a deposit equal to ½ of the total fee is due in the church office to hold the requested date. q The balance of the fees and a valid wedding license must be in the church office one week or more before the wedding. q The Bride and Groom will be the only persons permitted to make plans with the Pastor, Music Director, Wedding Coordinator or church staff about the wedding. Trinity will not work with outside wedding planners or coordinators. Families of the wedding couple will kindly make their requests and concerns known through the Bride or Groom. q The Bride and Groom are responsible for appropriately communicating this wedding policy to those who will be involved in the wedding and its planning. Intentional disregard of these policies by the Bride, Groom, their families, wedding party or guests may result in the immediate cancellation of the wedding.
We have read, understand and will be bound to these wedding policies.
_____________________________________ ____________________________________ Groom Elect Date Bride Elect Date
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