THE LORD BLESS YOUR WEDDING DAY

Your wedding day is one of the most festive days in your life, and by holding your wedding
at Hope Lutheran Church you are inviting God to be a part of this great day as well.  
Every worship service at Hope, your wedding included, centers around God.
So, in planning your wedding ceremony, keep in mind that everything occurring should
take into consideration this setting of worship.  
 Marriage itself is something God established, and Hope Lutheran sees a church wedding being
synonymous with placing one’s marriage under the authority of God’s Word.
Weddings at Hope, therefore, are intended for Christians seeking God’s marital blessing.

As you seek to exchange your vows in the Lord’s House, it is our hope that the Lord Jesus would
remain central to your wedding ceremony and throughout your marriage as well.  
May the Lord make your wedding day all you want it to be!

Marriage License

No wedding is performed without a marriage license.  
Knowing that this can be forgotten, the best way to handle this is to leave it in the
Pastor’s possession as soon as you have it.  
Licenses are valid for a period of 60 days from the issue date.  
The state of Florida currently offers a discount on your marriage license if you have met
pre-marital counseling requirements, which the Pastor at Hope is licensed to perform.

Your Wedding Service

Since your ceremony will be a Christian worship service, certain expectations come along with that.  
A Christian wedding includes readings from the Bible, a time for prayer, blessings, etc.  
You will find below a general format that can be followed.  This is not set in stone and
can accommodate different ideas as long as the integrity of a worship service is maintained and
the regular parts of the Christian wedding ceremony are kept. Our desire is to build a wedding that
will reflect the love and respect Christians wish to show toward God, and will be treated like a celebration.
The pastor will discuss with you the mechanics of the service, and offer suggestions to make this day
memorable and unique for you.  Here is a basic order of service:

Pre-Service Music
Processional
Welcome
Invocation/Scripture Readings
Message
Declaration of Intent
Exchange Vows
Pronouncement of Marriage
Lighting of Unity Candle
Prayer/Lord's Prayer
Benediction
Presentation of Couple
Recessional
Post-Service Music

Music for the Service

In keeping with the Christian atmosphere of the wedding service, choices of music should honor God.
 Look to select music that is God-conscious.  Certain pieces of music, while special to you as a couple,
may be better used within the context of your reception rather than the wedding ceremony.     
Solos and duets are welcome in the service, again keeping with the character of the Christian service.

The pastor and/or organist at Hope will be happy to assist you with your selection of appropriate music for your Christian wedding service.  Unless requested to do otherwise, the organist will choose music which seems to fit
well with your particular service.  If there is a special piece of music you would like to be considered,
please make that known at least one month prior to the wedding.  
Understand that the pastor will have final say on the appropriate nature of music.

Rice, etc.

Rice, birdseed, or confetti is not to be thrown on church property, inside or out.  
Bubbles are an excellent alternative that can be used instead.

Photography

Hope is happy to cooperate with you in seeing to it that photographs of high quality are taken of the wedding.
 It will be your responsibility to explain to the photographer and wedding guests that flash photography is
not allowed during the ceremony,  with the  exception of the processional and recessional.  
Following the worship service, any pictures of the ceremony can be re-enacted.   
Photographers are welcome to take time-exposures from the back during the ceremony,
just remind them to stay unobtrusive.

Video recording is also welcome at Hope with certain restrictions.  
Please be sure to ask the pastor for details if your photographer or any guest plans to capture
your wedding on video.

Flowers

Flowers are frequently used to enhance the atmosphere of the worship service.  
We ask that your flowers not cover the altar or block it visually.  In addition to the wedding party flowers,
we suggest two arrangements be placed on stands, one on each side of the chancel area.

Silk flowers or bows may be used on the chairs.  Please fasten them by means of elastic or string of some kind;
no masking tape, scotch tape, etc.  If you desire a white aisle runner, a 50 foot runner is sufficient.

You will be responsible for arranging the delivery of your flowers.
Contact the church office to arrange a delivery time so the church will be open.

Fees and Gifts of Appreciation

We do not expect members of Hope to pay any fees when getting married in our  church.  
It is assumed that they are already supporting the ministry through their weekly offerings to the Lord.

Fees for Non-Members:

Church for rehearsal and ceremony $350

Pastor $200-$300

Wedding bulletins/programs $75

As for extending your appreciation to the pastor, keep in mind the time commitment and training he shares
in making your wedding happen. It is only natural that you may be moved to give more,
given the involvement in the wedding ceremony, rehearsal and meetings prior to the ceremony.

Musicians

If you would like to have someone play the organ or piano, please contact the church office
to request this service. We will be happy to see if we can secure one for you.  The fee is $100 -$150.  

Please note: We cannot guarantee we can find someone to play, you may have to hire someone outside the church.

If you have any questions not answered here, please feel free to call the Church office.