Your Wedding at Dearborn First United Methodist Church

Please read over this information and if you have any questions, please contact our wedding coordinator, Christie Brewster. She can be reached via email at christiebrewster@yahoo.com.

The wedding coordinator will be present to assist with your wedding. She will attend the rehearsal, be at the church 60 minutes prior to the ceremony, and remain at the church for the duration of the ceremony. She will help the florist, assist with locating rooms and supplies in the church, line up the processional, direct the ushers in performing their duties and handle other small details and minor emergencies.

This is God’s church and a holy place. The church will be open 90 minutes prior to your ceremony. We ask that you, your wedding party, and guests observe a few simple rules:

• Smoking is not permitted AT ANY TIME in the church building or on the church grounds.
• Alcoholic beverages are NOT permitted on church premises.
• No rice, confetti, or bird seed is to be thrown. Flower petals and bubbles are acceptable in most situations, check with the wedding coordinator for further details.
• Flower petals may be dropped only on the carpet down the center aisle.
• It is acceptable to dress at the church prior to the ceremony and if more time is needed to accommodate this, please speak with the wedding coordinator.

The organist for your wedding will be our church organist. If you desire a change in this policy, the director of music and the church organist must approve. If you desire a soloist, it is your responsibility to make the arrangements. Our wedding coordinator can suggest names if you desire.
It is your responsibility to contact the organist as soon as possible after you have met with our pastor. Our accompanist is Matthew Kulbacki and his phone number is 519-969-3065. The selection of music for your wedding should be chosen with the understanding that the ceremony is a worship service. The organist and/or pastor will be happy to work with you in selecting appropriate music. Some ideas to get you started are:

• Preludes
  • “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”-J.S. Bach
  • “Sheep May Safely Graze”-J.S. Bach
  • “Solemn Processional” from “Water Music Suite”-Handel
  • “Bist Du Bei Mir?” (Art Thou With Me?) - J.S. Bach
  • “My Heart Ever Faithful”- Bach
  • Prelude in C Major (Ave Maria)-Bach Gounod
  • “If With All Your Hearts” (Elijah)-Mendelssohn
  • “He Shall Feed His Flock” (The Messiah)-Handel
  • “Sanctus” (St Cecilia Mass)-Gounod
• Processionals
  • “Bridal Chorus” -Wagner (Traditional)
  • “Trumpet Voluntary in D”-Purcell
  • “Trumpet Tune” - Purcell
  • “March”-Hill
  • “Ode to Joy”-Beethoven
• Vocal Solos
  • “The Lord’s Prayer”-Malotte
  • “O Perfect Love”-United Methodist Hymnal
  • “O Lord Most Holy” (Panis Angelicus)-Franck
  • “Wedding Prayer”-Dunlap
  • Recessionals and Postludes
  • “Wedding March”-Mendelssohn (Traditional)
  • “Rigaudon”-Campra
• Recessionals and Postludes
  • “Wedding March”-Mendelssohn (Traditional)
  • “Rigaudon”-Campra

FLOWERS/DECORATIONS

Our sanctuary is a beautiful Gothic structure with altar, cross, Bible, and two large candles on the altar. For altar flowers, we suggest two bouquets. If you desire flowers to be left for the Sunday worship service, please indicate your intention on the information sheet or tell the wedding coordinator.

We have two candelabras available for the chancel area. The candles for these candelabras can be purchased for you. We also have a candelabra for a unity candle. If you wish to use our unity candle candelabra, please purchase your own unity candle and tapers. You may wish to take your unity candle home to burn on your wedding anniversaries. The attached price sheet reflects our current costs for these candles. Please let us know which candles, if any, you would like for your service at least one month prior to your wedding so they can be ordered.

There are 44 pews in the main sanctuary of the church (22 on each side). NO TAPE OF ANY KIND IS TO BE USED ON THE CHURCH PEWS FOR BOWS. Your florist should have hangers for the pew bows or decorations. If your florist attempts to use tape for the pew bows, it will not be allowed. BE SURE to discuss this with your florist so that everything runs smoothly on your wedding day.

Note: aisle runners are not permitted in the sanctuary as a safety precaution.

Most photographers are familiar with the following standard procedures: Flash pictures may be taken of the bridal party as they enter the sanctuary (Processional) and again as the wedding party exits the sanctuary following the service (Recessional). There are to be NO FLASH PICTURES during the service. There may be time exposures or available light pictures taken from the rear of the sanctuary or balcony. There is to be no moving around the sanctuary that will disturb the service. Pictures may be posed before or after the service.

After your wedding, you will have approximately one hour for pictures. Please let your photographer and those involved in the pictures know this. Keeping the church open longer will involve special arrangements and we will need to have your request for more time at least a month in advance of your wedding date. We have to consider that frequently there are two weddings scheduled in one day. Scheduling the custodial staff is also a consideration.

Video cameras may be used during the ceremony, but should remain stationary in either the choir loft or balcony. Photographers are reminded that they are there to help you remember your sacred ceremony and special day. Their work style should reflect a respect for those sacred and special aspects of your wedding day. All videographers and photographers should be as inconspicuous to the congregation as possible in order to allow the congregation to see the ceremony and to maintain the sacred atmosphere.

Most receptions are held outside of the church building. Should you desire to hold your reception in the Fellowship Hall, please contact the church office for scheduling, costs, etc.

The one thing that you MUST NOT FORGET is your Marriage License. It must be picked up from the Wayne County Clerk’s office in Detroit and BROUGHT TO THE REHEARSAL. By law, you cannot be married without it. Please do not put our pastor in the position of being asked to marry you without a license: it is a crime for him to do so.

To obtain a marriage license you must go to the Wayne County Clerk’s office in Detroit. Either the bride or groom MUST request the license in person. You are required to bring:

Certified copies of birth certificates for both the bride and groom
• $23 in cash if one or both of the applicants is a Wayne County resident (use driver’s license as proof of residency) OR $33 in cash if both are residents elsewhere.

REMEMBER: There is a MANDATORY three day waiting period after you request your marriage license! This means if you request your marriage license on a Monday, you cannot pick it up until Thursday. Make sure you allow for this waiting period! Also, marriage licenses are only good for 30 days. This means you cannot request a marriage license more than 33 days prior to your wedding or it will be invalid on the ceremony date.

The Wayne County Clerk is open Monday through Friday, 8am-4:30pm.

They can be reached at 313-224-6262.

The location of the County Clerk’s Office is: Coleman A. Young Municipal Center 2 Woodward Avenue 2nd floor, Rm. 201 Detroit, MI 48226

Remember, your wedding is a sacred ceremony uniting two individual lives. While this ceremony is very important, the lifetime of marriage you are committing to is of the utmost importance. With that in mind, the pastor would like to have five counseling sessions with you prior to the wedding. Please see him to schedule these very important sessions. Your wedding day is only the beginning of your marriage: successful couples do not just plan a wedding, they plan a lifelong marriage.

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, please feel free to call or email the wedding coordinator. She has experience in wedding planning and is there to help you. We are looking forward to celebrating this important milestone with you!