Our Wedding Policies Brochure and Facilities Request Form are available to view and print as PDF files. Click here if you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
  

This information is intended to aid the engaged couple in preparing for a memorable marriage ceremony and a life together that will last. The following paragraphs include a few words about the holiness of marriage, the importance of proper preparation for marriage, and the practical steps necessary for planning a ceremony in our facilities.

Preparation for a Life-long Commitment

It is our desire that anyone using these facilities for a wedding know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior as He is the only foundation for permanence in marriage. He is the third strand in a cord of three that can not be easily broken. Furthermore, the Bible makes it clear that a non-Christian should not be joined with a Christian because of the incompatibility of their spiritual lives. If either member of the couple is not a Christian, please talk about this first with one of our ministers before proceeding with marriage plans.

The traditional marriage vows include the recommendation that marriage should not be entered into lightly or unadvisedly. We agree. No marriage should begin hurriedly or without sufficient time to learn about each other and to study the characteristics or foundations of a lasting relationship. We strongly recommend that the engaged couple seek Christian counseling in preparation for a lifetime of commitment. This is required by our ministers. If a minister from our staff is conducting the ceremony he will coordinate premarital counseling and may conduct it himself. The counseling should be scheduled for completion four or more weeks before the ceremony.  

Preparation for the Ceremony

Reservation of the Church
To reserve a wedding date, you must submit a Facilities Request. This form is available online or from the church office. There are two primary contingencies that must be met before a date will be confirmed on our church calendar. First, the minister to officiate for the wedding must be secured. Second, all dates for all functions must be reviewed by the staff to insure there are no conflicts with other ministry plans.

There are several dates that are reserved and for which a wedding will not be confirmed. Weddings will not be scheduled on Sundays or in conflict with other regularly scheduled church activities. They will not be scheduled on major holidays including Christmas day, Memorial and Labor Day weekends and Easter weekend. Vacation Bible School is one of our most important ministry activities, so weddings will not be scheduled on the weekends preceding or following VBS. If a church activity is already scheduled for the same weekend as the wedding request, it will not be moved to accommodate the request nor will a confirmed wedding date be moved for a church activity.

Facilities
Three spaces are available for a wedding ceremony: the Worship Center, the Educational Wing, and the Prayer Chapel. Dressing rooms include Room 107 for the women and Room 136 for the men.

Two spaces are available for a reception and/or rehearsal dinner: the Fellowship Hall with adjoining full-size kitchen and the Youth Wing with a neighboring kitchenette.

Logistics

We ask that the prospective bride & groom meet at least twice with our facilities manager and hostess chairman. The first meeting should be scheduled sometime in the first two weeks following confirmation of the wedding date. The second meeting should be scheduled no later than two weeks prior to the ceremony. This will help insure that all rooms to be used are properly set up and prepared and all needed supplies are on hand.

Elements of the Ceremony

♦ Minister
If the minister is not a member of the VGBC church staff, he must be approved by our senior pastor and be a man of like faith and practice. Contact information for him must be provided in order to allow our senior pastor to set up a brief interview. A date for the use of our facilities may be confirmed after the interview, with the approval of our senior pastor.

♦ Music
We are dedicated to the worship of God. A wedding ceremony is intended to be a worship service, thereby, the music chosen for use in the ceremony should reflect the sacred nature of the place and event. Music that is not sacred in nature or designed specifically for use in the church must affirm the life long commitment required of marriage and the spiritual nature of the ceremony. A song celebrating only the physical or romantic nature of love will likely not be appropriate. We request that all music choices be submitted to the Minister of Music for approval. Recordings, particularly of contemporary artists’ music, are helpful. Music should be submitted two weeks prior to the ceremony, so that neither the Minister of Music nor the participants are pressed for time, if a song is not approved.

♦ Musicians
The wedding party is free to enlist the musicians of their choice. If an organist is desired, we recommend that our organist be consulted first. If an organist other than the church’s is to be used, then he/she must be approved by our staff organist, Doug Brickett. (See Personnel Fees below.) 

♦ Technical
Sound reinforcement is required when the Worship Center is used. We will schedule our staff and equipment to be used at the wedding. (See Personnel Fees.) Audio recordings are not made due to copyright issues.

Video display is also available using our equipment and staff. (See Personnel Fees.) We do not make video recordings at this time. If you wish to display video during the wedding, the prepared product must be supplied to us 10 days prior to the wedding to insure compatibility with our equipment. This will allow time for the wedding party to find a solution if the video product is not compatible.

♦ Fees
All applicable fees are to be paid four weeks in advance of the wedding.

 *Church members and regular attendees at VGBC are not subject to room usage fees.

  
+All wedding parties are subject to personnel fees.

All fees are payable directly to Vista Grande Baptist Church or VGBC.

General Wedding Policies
The following activities are restricted or not permitted:

• Alcoholic beverages are not to be supplied or consumed anywhere on the property.
• Smoking is not permitted anywhere in our buildings.
• Rice is not to be used to shower the bride & groom; however bubbles or birdseed are acceptable.
• No pets are allowed on the premises. (Service dogs do not fall under this prohibition.)
• No food or drink is permitted in the Worship Center, except for items needed for the observance of the Lord’s Supper.
• Dance receptions are not permitted in our facility, however, the traditional first dance of the bride & groom and that of the father & bride are allowed.

Photography & Videography

In order that a photographer or videographer not become a distraction to the ceremony while “capturing” the moment, we ask that…

• photographers refrain from flash photography during the ceremony, except for the processional and recessional.
• videographers refrain from placing auxiliary lighting for use during the ceremony.
• they refrain from moving constantly about the room. Please find a best spot and record the ceremony from that place.
• they and all other personnel dress in a manner that shows respect for the bride & groom and the spiritual nature of the event. (Jeans and a t-shirt would be in very poor taste.)

It is the responsibility of the bride & groom to insure that these expectations are
communicated to those they choose to perform these functions on their behalf.

Check List 

__  Submit a Facilities Request to the church office.

__  Approval and confirmation of minister who will be officiating the ceremony.

__  Approval of wedding date on church calendar.

__  Approval by our staff organist if using another organist.
      
           Date Approved: ___________________________

__  All applicable fees paid four weeks in advance of ceremony.
       
           Date Due:________________________________ 

__  Bride & Groom to meet twice with Facilities Manager & Hostess Director.
       
           Dates:________________     ________________

__  Submit music two weeks prior to ceremony to Minister of Music.
       
           Date Due:________________________________

__  For video display: prepared product supplied ten days prior to  ceremony.

           Date Due:________________________________

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