Wedding & Wedding Policies
- Who Is Eligible to be Married in Our Church
- What Will It Cost to Have Your Wedding at Church of the Servant?
- Scheduling Your Wedding
- Working With Our Wedding Coordinator
- If You Plan to Have Your Reception at Our Church
- Ministers Who Are Available to You
- What About Making Music Arrangements?
- Are There Special Instructions to Give the Florist or Photographer?
- Can I Video My Wedding/Reception?
- Are There Premarital Sessions?
- A Few Other Thoughts
Our ministers and staff look forward to helping you prepare your wedding ceremony in order that it may be truly sacred, beautiful, and memorable. Please review the information furnished here and then call Becky Kittrell at 405-721-4141 for further information or to book your wedding.
Who Is Eligible to be Married in Our Church?
We reserve the church for weddings of members and their families. Members are defined as individuals who have officially joined the church and are on our membership rolls. Their extended family would be any individual related to them. Exceptions to this policy are at the discretion of the officiating minister.
What Will It Cost to Have Your Wedding at Church of the Servant?
Fees charged for weddings include the services of the officiating minister, our wedding coordinator, custodian, organist, sound technician and a facility use fee.
Chapel of the Cross: Total Inclusive Fee = $650.00
Celebration Center: Total Inclusive Fee = $850.00
Small, “stand-up” weddings with fewer than 20 people can be scheduled in our Chapel of Peace. There are no fees for a wedding of this type; however, the couple should negotiate the minister’s fee with the officiating minister.
Scheduling Your Wedding
All weddings are scheduled through our wedding secretary. You may contact her by calling the church office at 721-4141 Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. She will make sure the dates and times you have requested are available on our church calendar and also make sure the minister you have selected is free to perform the wedding. Other information pertinent to your wedding may be relayed to her either by phone or in person.
Our wedding secretary will forward all information regarding your wedding to one of our wedding coordinators. The coordinator will contact you to set up a meeting at an appropriate time to discuss in detail all plans for your wedding. At the time you schedule your wedding with our wedding secretary, a non-refundable $100.00 deposit is due and should be paid to the wedding secretary. Even if the date, time, and minister you have requested are available and have been confirmed by the wedding secretary, your wedding will not be considered firm and permanent on our church calendar until the deposit has been received. This deposit will be applied to your account and the remainder of the total inclusive fee will be due and payable to the wedding secretary two weeks prior to your wedding.
Weddings may be scheduled Monday through Friday between 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. On Saturday, weddings may occur between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Weddings are not scheduled on Sunday.
Working With Our Wedding Coordinator
Once scheduled, our wedding coordinators will be your primary contact in arranging all details of your wedding. Following contact with the wedding secretary, our coordinator will work with you from that point through your wedding day. She will help you in every way she can by taking care of all the details related to having your wedding in our church.
The coordinator will schedule a time to meet with you for the initial planning of your wedding. She will answer any questions, explain how weddings happen here at the church, make arrangements for music and put you in touch with our reception hostess (if you plan to have your reception at the church). She will be present at your wedding rehearsal to help that event go smoothly. She will be present for your wedding to coordinate with the wedding photographer, florist, reception hostess, and help in the special seating of grandparents and parents as well as the processional and other matters. She will also coordinate any video recording of the wedding with either our coordinator of television ministries or your videographer. She is trained to put you at ease and to take care of the details.
If You Plan to Have Your Reception at Our Church
If you choose, our church is happy to provide a lovely place for you to have your wedding reception. All wedding receptions are held in the Community Hall and it is suggested that all food and drink be confined to this area. If you decide to have your reception here, the wedding coordinator will put you in touch with our reception hostess. The fees charged for a reception include the hostess, two assistants, and custodial service for setting up and cleaning the Community Hall. (The assistants do not take the place of friends you select to serve cake.) In addition to these services, the fee covers the use of punch bowl, plates, cups, silverware, serving pieces, and skirting for serving tables. Our reception hostess can also provide (at an additional cost) punch, coffee, and tea.
Reception: Total Inclusive Fee = $525.00*
*This amount is for the first 200 guests. Add $50.00 for each additional 100 guests.
All wedding receptions taking place in our church shall be handled and supervised by our reception hostess and her staff. Two hours will be reserved following the wedding for your reception.
Ministers Who Are Available to You
We have several ordained ministers on our staff who are available to officiate at your wedding. You may, however, want to have a minister from outside our church officiate at your wedding. Approval of outside ministers must be arranged through our wedding secretary and Church of the Servant’s Executive Minister. Any fees for outside ministers are the responsibility of the wedding party and payment should be made directly to that individual.
What About Making Music Arrangements?
Our wedding coordinator will work with you in making the musical arrangements for your wedding as well. She will put you in touch with our organist who will be happy to help you select music for this very special occasion.
Our church has a large number of excellent soloists who can be scheduled to sing at your wedding. The cost of the soloists varies and is determined by the artist themselves. You can make arrangements with one of our soloists through the wedding coordinator. You are certainly free to select a soloist from among your friends and acquaintances if you prefer.
It is our church’s policy that no one plays our organ or piano other than one of our own organists unless prior approval has been given from our Director of Music Ministries. Your selection of music, soloist and accompanist should be discussed with our organist 45 days prior to the wedding to ensure that individuals are available and the music requested can be found.
It is assumed that you will choose music appropriate to the setting and situation. In very rare circumstances, it has been necessary for the officiating minister to veto a particular piece of music in light of the sacredness of your wedding.
Are There Special Instructions to Give the Florist or Photographer?
Your florist will need to set up your selections two hours prior to your wedding. Those items need to be removed from the building two hours following the time of the wedding or reception if it is held here. The church does not have room to store any items that are left on the premises and will not assume responsibility for them.
If your wedding is planned in the Celebration Center, any wax candles must be placed on the Lord’s Table and must have plastic placed under them to protect the table surface.
You and your photographer should agree on a time for you to be ready well before the ceremony begins in order to provide you with the best pictures possible. Pictures may be taken in the public areas of the church up to 30 minutes prior to the wedding. The wedding party will then be escorted to their designated areas. Additional pictures may be taken there and also after the ceremony itself. Pictures taken during the ceremony must be taken without a flash and the photographer must remain in the designated area.
Can I Video My Wedding/Reception?
Yes, you may use a family member or a friend, hire a production company or use the church’s television ministry team to video your wedding. In any case, you must adhere to the church’s guidelines and policies regarding use of video equipment. If you do plan
to record your wedding, the wedding coordinator must be informed in advance and the individual or company you have selected must be approved.
The church’s television ministry is equipped to video weddings in both the Celebration Center and Chapel of the Cross as well as receptions in our Community Hall. The fee for this service may be obtained from your wedding coordinator or our coordinator of television ministries. If you choose to use the church’s television ministry to tape your wedding, three DVDs will be given to you within a period of two weeks after your wedding.
Are There Premarital Sessions?
The minister you choose to officiate at your wedding will want to meet with you to help you plan the details of your wedding ceremony. They may determine to meet with you for more counseling about the decision you are making to marry in hopes of helping you be aware of certain personal and interpersonal factors involved in a good marriage. The decision to have these additional sessions will be at their discretion following the initial meeting with you and your fiancé.
A Few Other Thoughts
We do not allow use of tobacco products or the consumption of beer or other alcoholic beverages anywhere on church property, including the parking lot. All food and beverages are restricted from the Celebration Center and the Chapel of the Cross.
We also prohibit the use of flash photography by anyone during the wedding as it detracts from the integrity of the worship service. Following the wedding service, if you choose to throw birdseed, bubbles, or rose petals, please make sure that it is done outside the building.
Any items that have been rented by you for your wedding are your responsibility and should be removed from our building within two hours after the wedding ceremony or reception if it is held here. Any items belonging to members of the wedding party that are lost or misplaced are not the responsibility of the church. Every precaution should be taken by the wedding party to secure all valuables.
Rooms requested by you—such as the Celebration Center, Chapel, Bride’s Room, Groom’s Dressing Room, Community Hall or others—will be available to you and your wedding party three to four hours prior to the wedding and one hour after the wedding. Rooms not specifically assigned for your wedding should not be used.