We
are pleased that you have chosen Swaim for your marriage ceremony. We want to do
everything we can to assist you in making your wedding as beautiful, enjoyable,
and sacred as possible. We have established the following guidelines that
will make your preparations easier.
Arrangements: It is important that you notify the church immediately upon
determining the date that your wedding is to take place. The church secretary
will mark it down tentatively on the church calendar, pending approval of the
pastor.
Music: We would like to invite you to take advantage of our beautiful
pipe organ. Our organist is available upon request. If you would like to provide
your own musician, our grand piano and Kurzweil keyboard are available for your
use. In order to maintain the sacred nature of this service, all secular
music must be pre-approved by the pastor. The wedding party is responsible for
fees of all musicians and soloists.
Photography: You will want to record your wedding on film (and perhaps
videotape). The pastor is willing to aid you in this endeavor. Flash pictures
are strictly prohibited in the sanctuary during the marriage service. Pictures
may be taken by a professional photographer without a flash during the wedding
service with the prior approval of the minister. The ushers will be instructed
to request that guests not use cameras during the service. Video cameras
must not intrude into the ceremony and must remain in one place during the
service.
Marriage License: It is the responsibility of the marriage couple to
obtain a marriage license within the time allotted by law prior to the wedding
day. The pastor must have received the marriage license and have it in his
possession for the wedding service to be carried out. The church office will see
that the license is returned to the court house immediately after the wedding.
Rehearsal:
A rehearsal is necessary for most weddings. The pastor will be in charge of the
rehearsal and the wedding.
Decorations:
All decorations must first be approved by the pastor. Six-foot black wrought
iron candelabras are available for your use. No staples, tacks, nails, tape or
other items that would mark or deface are to be used in connection with any of
the furniture, furnishings or church property.
Flowers:
No arrangements are to be placed on the altar rail, pulpit, or lectern. An aisle
runner is required if fresh flower petals are to be strewn in the aisle.
Protective mats must be placed under all potted plants and arrangements, except
those placed on the altar and grading. The florist is responsible for
accessories and equipment provided by them. These items must be removed from the
church grounds immediately following the wedding.
General
Information: Smoking is not permitted in any church facility and alcoholic
beverages are not allowed on church grounds. No rice or seed is to be thrown
inside the church building. Seed may be thrown outside of the church
facility upon the departure of the bride and groom. The wedding party will be
responsible for all damages to the church facility, furniture and furnishings.
The
Bride’s Room: This is available for the bride, her mother and those that
may be assisting her. A room is assigned to the ushers and groomsmen. It is
requested that no furniture be moved and no food or drink be consumed in these
areas. Please assign a friend to be responsible for removing all clothing from
the rooms immediately following the ceremony. These rooms must be returned to
the proper order in which they were found. The church is not responsible for
valuable items, so please leave them at home.
Guest
Ministers: A guest minister may assist in a marriage service at Swaim upon
the approval and invitation of the pastor. Such a request should be made at the
time the wedding is placed on the church calendar.
Children
and Infants: We advise you to discourage parents from bringing small
children and infants to weddings at Swaim. You may wish to communicate this to
your guests. Children under four years of age are not to be used as ring bearers
or flower girls.
Wedding and Rehearsal Fees
Sanctuary $300.00
Organist $100.00
Custodian ** $100.00
Pastor* $200.00
Reception
Parlor $200.00
Vrieze Hall $300.00
Custodian ** $100.00
**The custodian opens and closes the buildings for rehearsal and wedding
service. He will be present, if necessary, to open the building for the
florist, etc., and will set the heat/air conditioning as required if the wedding
and or rehearsal is held outside normal business hours of the church (Monday
through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). The custodian is not responsible
for any equipment or supplies provided by the caterer or florist. The $100.00
custodial charge is for 4 hours. Time over 4 hours will be billed at $25.00 per
hour.
Payment for use of the facilities should be made as follows:
*$100.00 Non-refundable deposit made at time of booking.
*A refundable damage deposit equal to one half of the total cost of the rental
fee. (Refundable within 72 hours of the event)
*A separate check for the total cost of rental minus the $100.00 deposit.
All payments should be made by the week before the wedding.
The payment for services of organist and custodian are made directly to those
performing the service. The office can provide information as to the correct
names.
*Pastor’s services include rehearsal and ceremony. Due to time constraints,
counseling is not available to non-members.
*Any special requests or changes in the service must be approved by the Pastor
at least two weeks prior to the wedding date.
