A SPANISH FORT WEDDING

What Makes Spanish Fort Different

Your Wedding At Spanish Fort

A wedding is one of the happiest and most sacred moments in life. As two Christian people join their lives to establish a Christian home, the church rejoices with them. Spanish Fort United Methodist Church is eager to make the occasion of a wedding both beautiful and memorable. Remember that a wedding is a service of worship as well as one of celebration. Our church wedding policies further reflect our desire to uphold the sanctity of wedding ceremonies. Please keep the following policies in mind when planning your wedding at Spanish Fort United Methodist Church. Please contact Whitney Becker, our Wedding Director, with any questions regarding your wedding at whitneyb.inc@gmail.com.

Arrangements

As soon as you select the date for your wedding, please come by the church office and fill out a Wedding Reservation Application. Upon application approval, you will be given a Wedding Data Form, which will be used by the Wedding Director. Complete this form and bring it to the church office.

Wedding fees will be based upon membership status the day we receive your application.

Due to facility and personnel constraints, we are unable to schedule weddings during Holy Week, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, or New Year’s Day. Weekends close to these days may be unavailable as well. No weddings will be scheduled later than 6:00 p.m.

Music

A Christian wedding is first and foremost a service of Christian worship. The music in your wedding should express the depth of your commitment to each other and the sacredness of the occasion. If you need help choosing music for your wedding, the officiating pastor will be glad to provide suggestions. While we respect the personal tastes of the bride and groom, Spanish Fort UMC reserves the right to disallow any particular song that the officiating pastor feels is inappropriate for a Christian wedding. Accordingly, please submit all requested music selections to the Minister of Worship Arts before the final choices have been made.

The Minister of Worship Arts will help you contact one of our church accompanists. No other accompanist may use the organ or piano, unless approved by church staff. If the couple chooses to use other types of musicians, the coordination of these individuals will be the responsibility of the wedding party and wedding director. The music will still need approval from church staff.

Access to the church sound system is limited to authorized persons only. The Wedding Director will help you arrange for one of our church authorized sound technicians to be available for your wedding if needed.

Decoration Guidelines

Sanctuary:

  • The Wedding Director will explain which of the furnishings can be moved or removed. Additional fees may be charged for moving furnishings or equipment.
  • The church has several items which may be used during the ceremony. The Wedding Director will make you aware of these items.
  • Mechanical candles are required except for the unity candle. Plastic must be placed under the unity candle stand.
  • Pew bows and other decorations must be attached with proper clamps. Nails, wire, and scotch tape are not permitted.
  • Flower arrangements are the responsibility of the wedding party. Flowers may be left for the Sunday Service. If the couple desires to leave their flowers, please inform the Wedding Director.
  • Contact your florist prior to the ceremony to ensure that policies regarding decorations are understood. Arrangements will also be made for the florist to access the church facilities in order to decorate.
  • Church decorations may not be removed during the Advent Season (between Thanksgiving and Christmas.)

Fellowship Hall:

  • Those who decorate the hall are responsible for removing the decorations.
  • Nothing may be attached to the walls.
  • The custodian will set up tables and chairs in the Fellowship Hall. The bride must meet with the custodian to discuss and make written plans for the arrangement of the various items.
  • The kitchen is not available for use and kitchen utensils cannot be borrowed or removed from the kitchen area.
  • No open flame or candles may be used.

Facilities

The Sanctuary will seat 600 persons. The Fellowship Hall will accommodate a reception of 175 persons. Tables & chairs in the Fellowship Hall may be used at no additional charge. Table linens and service items are not available.

Regulations for all Buildings

  • Smoking is not permitted in any church building or on any of the church property.
  • No alcoholic beverages are allowed on the church property. Anyone who is intoxicated will not participate in the wedding service.
  • Food and drink are allowed only in the Fellowship Hall.
  • Rice may not be thrown. Birdseed may be used.

Protection of Personal Property

The church will make every reasonable effort to protect personal property brought to the church. However, we will not be liable for items lost, stolen, damaged, or left after the ceremony or reception.

Clean-up

Church custodial staff is required. The custodian will clean the bathrooms, vacuum the carpet, clean the kitchen and Fellowship Hall floors, remove trash, replace altar furniture, sweep birdseed, and ensure that the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall are returned to their original condition.

Wedding participants are responsible for:

  • Clearing dressing rooms and bathrooms of all clothing and articles
  • Collecting all trash and placing it in receptacles
  • Removing all flowers and decorations
  • Disposing of food items used in the Fellowship Hall
  • Any damage caused by wedding participants or guests will be the financial responsibility of the bride, groom, and families.

Photography & Videography

Photography & videography, if desired are the responsibility of the wedding party. The use of cameras with flash attachments is not permitted in the Sanctuary during the wedding ceremony. The photographer may take a picture in the Narthex as the bride begins to process with her escort, and then as the couple recesses down the aisle following the ceremony. Contact your photographer prior to the wedding to ensure that policies are followed. The photographer may make an appointment with the Wedding Director to see the Sanctuary before the wedding day.

Use of video equipment is permitted only in the balcony during the ceremony and the videographer must remain stationary during this time. Videography or photography is not permitted on the altar or in the choir loft during the ceremony. These policies in particular are to protect the sanctity of the marriage ritual.

Officiant

A minister of Spanish Fort United Methodist Church is expected to participate in any wedding held at our church. If you, however, have a special minister or family member whom you desire to preside over the wedding ceremony, please contact the pastoral staff at SFUMC for approval prior to the wedding. Our pastor may then formally invite your pastor or family member and discuss arrangements.

Our ministers require that those desiring to be married complete pre-marital counseling sessions, which include general counseling about the wedding and marriage and the completion of the PREPARE/ENRICH INVENTORY. This should be completed at least 4 months prior to the wedding. Scheduling the appointments for these sessions is the responsibility of the persons getting married; these appointments can be made by calling the minister’s administrative assistant. We recommend that counseling sessions be scheduled as soon as you receive approval of the wedding date. Punctuality at counseling sessions and the rehearsal is expected.

The marriage license should be brought to the officiating pastor as soon as it is acquired. The pastor will not marry a couple unless the counseling sessions have been completed and the license has been notarized.

Please note: The United Methodist Book of Discipline in par. 241.6 (p270) reads, “ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions shall not be conducted by our ministers and shall not be conducted in our churches.”

As a United Methodist
faith community

We welcome all who seek to follow and serve Jesus Christ. We believe that our relationship with God is centered solely on God’s love and grace.