Created by Vickie L. Viste, Administrative Assistant Approved by Board of Elders 6-10-2002

Revised 11-2008; 7-2013; 2-2014,; 8-2015

323 S. 5th Avenue

Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

Phone: 920.743.6218

Fax: 920.743.0440

Website: www.sbmoravian.org

Email: sbmc@sbmoravian.org

STURGEON BAY MORAVIAN CHURCH

WEDDING PLANNER

Preparing for Your Church Wedding

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Introduction 1

First Contact With The Church 1

Pastor(s) 1 - 2

Wedding Coordinator 2 - 3

Organist 3 - 4

Auxiliary Musicians 4

Video Taping 4 - 5

Miscellaneous 5

Building and Grounds 5 - 6

Fees 6 - 7

Marriage License 8

Destination (Non-Church) Wedding 9 -10

Your Notes 11

Sample of Wedding Bulletin 12 -13

Wedding Information Sheet Insert (Complete Information Sheet and return to Wedding Coordinator or Pastor)

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Solo

The Rite of Marriage Statement of Promises Sharing of Vows Offering of Ring Gifts Declaration of Marriage Lighting of the Unity Candle Sanctuary REN 185 Wedding Prayer The Blessing of Marriage

Benediction

Recessional Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow Bock

* * *

Parents of the Bride xxx Parents of the Groom xxx Maid of Honor xxx Bridesmaids xxx Best Man xxx Groomsmen xxx Flower Girl xxx Ring Bearer xxx Ushers xxx Pastor Rev. xxx Soloist xxx Pianist / Organist xxx

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A Worship Service for the Celebration of Marriage

JANE DOE AND

JOHN SMITH

The Moravian Church January 28, 2006 Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin 2:00 p.m.

Preludes Friends Smith As the Deer Hayes Holy Ground Hayes On Eagle’s Wings Joncas

Processional Canon in D Pachelbel The Greeting of Guests and Welcome to Worship

Affirming the Biblical Basis of Marriage

Scripture Lesson

Wedding Meditation

The use of flash photography is not permitted during this worship service.

We ask that you please turn off your cell phone.

SAMPLE BULLETIN The following is a sample of the components of the worship ser-vice. You can use your own artistic talents in how you would like your bulletin to look. Please note “no flash photography during the service” somewhere in your bulletin.

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INTRODUCTION

In order for you to have, in writing, some answers concerning wedding customs and procedures in the Moravian Church of Sturgeon Bay, we have prepared the following guidelines. We trust that they will be helpful and will assist you in making your wedding a beautiful, spiritual occasion. The pastor will meet, by arrangement with the couple to be married, as many times as necessary for planning and counseling. FIRST CONTACT WITH THE CHURCH OFFICE

• The first step in planning your wedding is to contact the office for an appointment to discuss the ceremony and set the time and date. This should be done at least six months before the wedding date.

• Weddings will be placed on the church calendar on a first

come, first served basis. • It is customary for the Moravian Order of Service to be used.

Variations may be made in consultation with the pastor. PASTOR(S)

• One of the pastors of the Sturgeon Bay Moravian Church is expected to conduct all wedding ceremonies held at the church. In the event you wish to have guest clergy assist the pastor, we will be happy to discuss this with you.

• The pastor will provide Premarital Preparation Sessions to be

scheduled with the pastor. • The pastor will be present at the rehearsal to lend sugges-

tions in observance of the customs and rituals of the Moravi-an Church.

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• The pastor must have the marriage license in his possession prior to the service. It is suggested that the license be dropped off at the church office or brought to the rehearsal. The service cannot legally be performed without the license.

• The pastor will mail the license to the Register of Deeds on the first business day following the wedding.

WEDDING COORDINATOR A wedding coordinator is available as an option. If you wish to have a friend or relative assist you that individual must agree to providing the same services as outlined below.

The wedding coordinator is responsible to meet with you and assist you as follows:

• Answer questions regarding the use of the church, decorat-ing options, etc.

• Be available for florists and photographer to have access to the facilities prior to the wedding if needed.

• Work with the bride and groom regarding placement of attendants and family, instruction of ushers, setting up in- house video requirements, and liaison with pastor(s).

• Open and close the church for rehearsal and the wedding day.

• Be available to assist with the rehearsal.

• Be sure flowers are received on time and that the photogra-pher and musicians are present. Pin flowers if required.

• Assist the wedding couple, their attendants and family by making sure people are in their correct places, flowers have been distributed, etc. Line up the attendants and make sure everyone is in their place on time. Be available the entire time the wedding party is in the building to assist as needed.

• Pick up, vacuum and reset the sanctuary for Sunday services.

• Clean up and reset other areas as needed, ie fellowship room, dining room, or any other areas that were used.

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NOTES

1) Contact the church office/pastor. 2) Complete the enclosed Wedding Information Sheet and re-

turn to the Wedding Coordinator or church office/pastor.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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◊ Line up the attendants prior to walking down the aisle. ◊ Discuss alternate plans if there is inclement weather. GRATUITIES

Consideration should be given to gratuities for your musicians and officiant. See Pages 6-7 for guidelines.

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• Make sure that the wedding license is properly signed and mailed.

See insert “Moravian Church Wedding Planner.” Please com-plete this form, and return it to the wedding coordinator who will provide copies for the pastor and church office.

Notify the coordinator if flowers are to be left for Sunday ser-vices so that he/she can inform the church flower coordinator.

The role of a personal attendant, if desired, will be discussed with the bide and groom and will be under the direction of the wed-ding coordinator. ORGANIST

Meeting with the Organist. When you meet with the organist, the following decisions will be made:

• Vocalist. If a vocalist is to be used, the number and titles of the selections will be determined. The music must then be made available to the vocalist to allow ample time for prepa-ration.

• Congregational Hymns. If congregational singing is to be used, the number and titles of the selections will be determined. If the hymns selected do not appear in the MORAVIAN BOOK OF WORSHIP, they must be prepared for photocopying, and re-print permission must be obtained.

Unless there are specific requests, the organist will use his/her best judgment in selecting the following for you:

• Prelude. This is a short recital (approximately 15 minutes) played before the ceremony begins. The recital will consist of both traditional and contemporary music.

• Processional. This is the music to which the wedding party will march into the sanctuary. As the sanctuary is quite small, only one musical selection is needed.

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• Recessional. This is the music to which the wedding party will march out of the sanctuary. Music is generally played contin-uously until the church is empty.

AUXILIARY MUSICIANS

Often couples wish to have vocal and/or instrumental music as part of their liturgical celebrations.

Vocalists. Friends and/or relatives are always welcome as vocalists. If you would like to use a vocalist and do not have a friend or relative available, please consult the wed-ding officiant.

Instrumentalists. Friends and/or relatives are always wel-come as instrumentalists. If you would like to include an instrumentalist and do not have a friend or relative availa-ble, please consult the wedding officiant.

Congregational Singing. As at any worship service, the gathered community is part of the celebration. It is im-portant that they be involved in the celebration of the union rather than just silent observers. To achieve this, you are encouraged to include congregational singing in the order of worship. There are many hymns from the MORAVIAN BOOK OF WORSHIP as well as other resources which may be used for this purpose. The wedding offici-ant will assist you in finding appropriate material for con-gregational use.

VIDEO TAPING

The Moravian Church has the capability of videotaping your wed-ding. This is done through several remote-controlled cameras in the sanctuary. If you are interested in utilizing this service, please read the following guidelines, and communicate your wishes to the wedding coordinator.

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DESTINATION (Non-Church) Wedding

FIRST CONTACT WITH THE OFFICIANT

• The first step in planning your wedding is to contact the pas-tor for an appointment to discuss the ceremony and set the time and date. This should be done at least six months be-fore the wedding date.

• Two counseling sessions should be scheduled, with the pas-tor, to discuss marriage and plan the wedding.

• The pastor will be present at the rehearsal to lend sugges-tions in observance of the customs and rituals of a Moravian service.

MUSICIANS

The vocalist(s), instrumentalist and music selections should be discussed with the pastor. MARRIAGE LICENSE

See Page 6 for details. FACILITATOR/COORDINATOR

You may want to have someone act as the facilitator/wedding coordinator to be sure that details are covered, particularly the day of the wedding. Some areas to consider:

◊ Check the sound system. Let the pastor know what type of sound system he/she will be working with.

◊ Be available to assist the Florist with placement and pinning of boutonnieres and corsages.

◊ Meet with the photographer and outline where he/she may be for photos during the ceremony. Be mindful that this is a religious ceremony first and a photo op second.

◊ Instruct the ushers of their duties.

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MARRIAGE LICENSE

The couple must contact the Clerk of Court in the County which you reside if you are a Wisconsin resident. If you are not a Wis-consin resident you must apply in the County that the ceremony will be performed. A marriage license is good for 30 days, but be aware that there is a 5 business day waiting period from the time of application until you can pick up the license. The license has to be in hand in or-der for the officiant to perform the ceremony. We recommend that you give your license to the Wedding Coordinator or Offici-ant at the rehearsal to be sure that they have it in hand. The day of the ceremony the Maid/Matron of Honor, Best Man and Officiant will sign the Marriage License. The Pastor/Officiant is responsible for sending the license in to the Register of Deeds (in the County where the ceremony took place) within three days of the ceremony. Certified (purchased) copies can be obtained from the Register of Deeds (in the County that the ceremony took place) 7-10 days after the ceremony. For Door County your contracts are: Door County Clerk 421 Nebraska Street Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 920.746.2200 Door County Register of Deeds 421 Nebraska Street Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 920.746.2270

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The video equipment is available to wedding parties for making a video recording of weddings, which take place in the church sanc-tuary. The following guidelines apply:

• Individuals who have been trained by the Moravian Church Video and Sound Committee must operate the equipment.

• The operator will be invited to the rehearsal to be able to effectively coordinate the video and sound. The wedding co-ordinator will work with this committee and assign individuals to be available for your wedding.

MISCELLANEOUS

Arrival Times. The bride and bridesmaids should be at the church no less than 90 minutes before service times; the groom and groomsmen should be at the church one hour before the service, along with the ushers.

Flash Photography. Wedding ceremonies are worship ser-vices. Please be advised that flash photography is not permitted during the ceremony. A note stating this must appear in the worship bulletin.

Smoking and Alcohol Consumption. Neither smoking nor the consumption of alcoholic beverages are permitted anywhere on church property nor within the church complex. Please also inform the wedding party and guests who will be attending the ceremony.

Rice or Birdseed. We ask that no rice or birdseed be thrown inside or outside the church.

BUILDING AND GROUNDS

Flowers. Because of the design of our sanctuary, a minimum of flowers is needed to decorate. If flowers are to be left for Sunday worship, this needs to be discussed with the wedding coordinator in the preliminary planning of the service.

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Changing Areas. Adequate facilities are available in the Edu-cation Building for the bride and bridesmaids to use for dressing.

Clean Up. We ask that the ushers assist in picking up bulle-tins and items that need to go to the reception or be re-turned to the bridal party. The wedding coordinator will be responsible to clean and set up the sanctuary for Sun-day morning.

FEES

Recognition of the Pastor. By contract, the pastor is com-pensated by the congregation to provide worship leader-ship for the regular worship services only. The pastor is not compensated, by the congregation, for officiating at wedding ceremonies. It is appropriate to recognize the pastor and his efforts, which include consultation with the couple, multiple meetings with the couple before the marriage date, preparation of the ceremony, and officiat-ing at the ceremony. The fee schedule for other partici-pants printed below may serve as a guideline in deciding how best the pastor can be recognized.

Wedding Coordinator. The Board of Elders of the Sturgeon Bay Moravian Church has set a fee of $240 for the coor-dinator’s services.

Organist. By contract, the organist is compensated by the congregation to provide music for regular worship ser-vices only. Therefore, authorization has been granted by the Board of Elders of the congregation to charge a fee for services provided at weddings. Based on the recom-mendations of the Northeastern Wisconsin Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the following fee sched-ule is in effect:

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$100 - Wedding Fee. This fee includes consultation with the couple, all aspects of preparation of the chosen wedding music, appearance at the wed-ding rehearsal, and performance at the ceremony.

$25 - Musical Rehearsal Fee. This is a per-rehearsal fee for working with a vocalist or an instrumentalist.

Auxiliary Musicians. It is also customary to reimburse aux-iliary musicians for their time and effort. The following fee schedule is in effect regarding use of auxiliary musi-cians (based on a minimum charge of $75 per musician involved):

$75 – Vocalist or Instrumentalist (not a friend or a relative). This fee includes his/her rehearsal time and appearance at the wedding. (Reimbursing or recognizing musicians who are relatives is a pri-vate matter between the couple and the musician.

Video Taping. The video operator and sound operator should be compensated for their time with an honorari-um of $25 each. An additional charge of $25 shall be made to cover the cost of videotapes and production expenses. The total charge will be $75.

Facility Charge. $150 for non-members only.

Fees. All fees should be placed in marked envelopes and giv-

en to the wedding coordinator prior to or at the rehears-al for distribution the day of the wedding.