God intended that marriage remind us of the relationship between Christ and His church. This phrase from the wedding ceremony is a primary guide for what we see as appropriate and non-appropriate use of the church. There are some procedures we ask couples being married in the Grantham Church to follow to preserve the integrity of marriage. You have decided to have a church wedding and we want your ceremony to be a Christian ceremony, carried out in a spirit of worship.
All music used in the wedding should be suitable for Brethren in Christ worship. This excludes all secular songs. Some classical music may be appropriate. Musical selections must be approved by the Grantham Church organist, Lois Paine (697-2527), who has the responsibility to implement this policy. Under normal circumstances, these arrangements should be completed no later than a month before the wedding.
Guest organists will also need to be approved by the Minister of Music, and an organ orientation session may be required, for which a fee will be charged. If your organist or pianist, or other musicians, need rehearsal time(s) in the sanctuary, they should be scheduled well in advance with the Facility Coordinator, Minister of Music, or the Church Organist.
The Grantham Church Board strongly urges outside pastors to have some significant premarital counseling times with their couples prior to the ceremony.
The services of a sexton and sound technician are included in the sanctuary charge, but there may be time limitations on Saturday evening weddings. Normally, we do not permit weddings on Sunday, which is a full worship day for the church; nor are they permitted on holiday weekends, when church personnel (sextons, sound technicians, kitchen supervisors, etc.) would be required to sacrifice personal/family time to accommodate wedding requirements.
The sanctuary will also be reserved for rehearsal the evening before the wedding at no additional charge. A Grantham Church sound technician will be present at the rehearsal.
It is suggested that the bride and her wedding planner/consultant make an appointment for a brief meeting with the Grantham Church sexton to have questions answered and to discuss sanctuary and fellowship hall set-up possibilities.
Dressing rooms are available. Women use the church parlor (Room A4); and men, Room D20, both of which are in close proximity to restrooms. Privacy screens are provided for use inside the parlor doors the day of the wedding.
Brides are discouraged from leaving gowns and other wedding apparel/supplies at the church overnight. The Grantham Church will not assume responsibility for items left in the building.
The Grantham Church does not provide any wedding planning/consulting, catering or childcare services. A childcare room may be rented, however.
The main kitchen and reception facilities (which will accommodate 400 people for a sit-down or informal meal) are available. Use of the main kitchen will require the presence of a Grantham Church kitchen supervisor, for whose time a fee will be charged. There are certain restrictions on Saturday evening and Sunday receptions.
The fellowship hall will be available for set-up and decorating at 12:00 noon on the day prior to your wedding reception. If you need to reserve it for an additional full day, i.e., beginning prior to noontime, the day before the reception, a fee equal to half the normal fee for fellowship hall usage will be charged.
If the main kitchen needs to be reserved for any additional time the day before the wedding reception for food preparation, keep in mind that a Grantham Church kitchen supervisor must be present and that $10 per hour will be charged for this service.
In addition to kitchen supervision, custodial and sound technician services will be provided solely by trained Grantham Church personnel.
The sanctuary will be available for decorating no earlier than 3:00 p.m. on the day prior to your wedding.
Sanctuary furniture may not be moved without prior approval or without the supervision and direction of the church’s custodial staff and/or Property and Facility Commission. An additional fee will be charged to move any chancel furniture other than the four center altar rails.
The Grantham Church does not provide candelabra, unity candle holders, kneeling benches, aisle runners, or artificial plants (other than the plants presently in the sanctuary) for use in weddings. We do, however, have pew ropes available if needed.
Candle usage:
a. Florists should be asked to provide large size drip cloths for candles, or make some provision to prevent wax falling onto the carpet. It sometimes happens that the air-conditioning system blows wax a little distance from the candelabra.
b. As well as plastic under candles, care should be taken to snuff candles with candle snuffers provided rather than blowing them out. We have two long-handled candle lighter/snuffers available for your use if your florist does not provide them.
c. All candles used are to be dripless, with protective plastic placed under the holders.
d. Let candles cool for a few minutes before moving candelabra.
Except for pew bows (see next item), all decorative items and floral/greenery arrangements must be free-standing, i.e., not attached to or hanging from walls, ceilings, etc. All exception requests must be submitted for the consideration and approval by the Property & Facility Commission.
Scotch tape must not be used on either the pews or the walls. Cording, clear fishing line, or pew clips available at craft or floral supply stores may be used to attach pew bows to ends of pews, provided the clips are not so tight that they scratch any surface of the pews.
No use of tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, or social dancing is permitted on the premises.
Neither confetti nor rice may be used. An acceptable rice substitute is birdseed, which must be used outside only. Anything other than birdseed will require special permission from the Property & Facility Commission.
Nothing may be placed on the piano.
No pictures may be taken during the wedding ceremony where this will distract from the worship atmosphere (i.e., no flash photography). You will need to let your guests know about this restriction in a tactful way. Videotaping is permitted if equipment is pre-positioned and stationary during the ceremony.
All wedding furnishings, decorations, accessories, etc., must be removed from the church the same day as the ceremony so that it may be cleaned and prepared for the Sunday morning worship service.
After your Facility Request Form has been approved, a Facility Use Agreement, which includes costs/billing information, will be sent to you. Upon your receipt of this billing document, a $50 down payment will be due, and our receipt of this down payment will confirm your reservation. The down payment will be non-refundable if your wedding at the Grantham Church is canceled. Payment of all remaining fees/charges must be made in full 30 days prior to your wedding date. If additional charges are incurred, you will receive a post-wedding bill which will be payable upon receipt. See Item #6 of the Facility Usage Guidelines for an explanation of what additional charges may be.
Policy for Scheduling the Grantham Church Facility as a “Rain Date” Site: If you are planning an outdoor wedding and reception, but wish to reserve the Grantham Church facilities to be used in the event of inclement weather, a $500 flat fee will be charged. If the church is reserved for only a wedding or only a reception, the flat fee will be $250. This must be received by the church office before any further consideration will be given to your request. If church facilities are not used, half of this fee will be refunded. However, if church facilities are subsequently used, and actual charges are less than the initial fee paid, you will receive a refund for the excess amount paid. Likewise, if actual charges exceed the initial fee, you will be billed for the additional amount, payable upon receipt of your billing document. (Note: Because a Grantham Church sound technician must be engaged for sanctuary use and must remain “on call” the day of the wedding, he/she will be paid whether or not the sanctuary is actually used. This payment is included in the flat fee mentioned above.)
