Morningside Baptist Church

Morningside Baptist Church of Bainbridge Inc.

Church Wedding Policy

((Amended & adopted August 2011))

A wedding ceremony is a sacred occasion.  With careful planning it can be a very meaningful event.  The following policies will govern the plans and procedures for weddings performed at Morningside Baptist Church of Bainbridge Inc. ( throughout referred to as Morningside Baptist Church or MBC).  We believe these policies are reasonable, suitable and practical for all wedding ceremonies utilizing our facilities and personnel.

General Policies

1. All requests for weddings performed at Morningside Baptist Church (MBC) must be approved by the Pastor or his designate.
    
2. Requests for Pastors/Ministers other than those on staff at MBC must be approved by the Pastor at MBC or his designate.
    
3. Weddings performed at MBC must take place under the direct or indirect supervision of the Pastor of MBC or his designate.
    
4. Saturday weddings will be subject to the following conditions:
   1. Non-members.   Weddings for non-church members must begin no later than 4:00 p.m.
       
   2. Members of MBC.   Weddings for church members (including immediate family members) must begin no later than 7:00 p.m.
       
   3. Weddings on holiday weekends will be subject to a special approval by the pastor or his designate and church availability.
       
5. Couples using Pastors/Ministers of MBC are required to complete the appropriate pre-marital counseling before the wedding date.
    
6. Couples using Pastors/Ministers other than those on staff at MBC must provide evidence that adequate pre-marital counseling has been completed.
    
7. Scheduled weddings must be approved by the Pastor prior to any formal announcement of the wedding.

Initial Contact with the Minister/Church

1. An initial contact with the Pastor/Minister should be made as far in advance as possible in order to verify the Minister's disposition to performing the wedding.
    
2. During the initial contact the Minister will question the couple to determine the biblical grounds for performing the wedding.
    
3. If biblical grounds for performing the wedding are evident the Minister will complete the necessary questionnaire, verify the date of the ceremony with the church calendar, receive the applicable fees and present a printed copy of the Church Wedding Policies to the couple.
    
4. If at any time during the pre-marital counseling the Minister determines that biblical grounds for performing the wedding do not exist or that performing the wedding would be a violation of his conscience or a violation of these provisions, he will advise the couple accordingly, remove the ceremony date from the church calendar and return the applicable fees which have been paid.

The Wedding Ceremony

1. The wedding ceremony is a sacred service.  All music chosen for the ceremony should be in keeping with the sanctity and dignity of the wedding service.  All music used in the ceremony must be approved by the Pastor or the Minister of Music.  Couples using Ministers other than those at MBC must have the wedding ceremony music approved by the MBC Pastor or Minister of Music.
    
2. Musical instruments are delicate and should only be utilized by qualified and responsible musicians.
    
3. Guest musicians must be approved by the Pastor or Minister of Music.
    
4. The sound equipment must only be operated by the Sound Technician of MBC or other qualified person authorized by the Sound Technician or Minister of Music.
    
5. Since our church is already furnished as a place of dignity, elaborate decorations are not necessary.  Decorations used must not damage the floors, walls, carpeting, or furniture.  Nails, tacks, screws, or scotch tape must not be used on any part of the building or furnishings.  Care should be taken to insure candles do not drip on the floors and carpeting (dripless type of candles only).
    
6. While wedding ceremonies do vary in their details, care should be taken to insure those details do not depart from biblical significance.
    
7. Wedding attire should be in keeping with propriety and modesty.
    
8. All furniture moved from their original places must be returned as found immediately after the wedding.
    
9. Photographic procedures during the ceremony must be specified beforehand by the Pastor or his designate and observed accordingly.
    
10. Children must be supervised at all times.
     
11. The church nursery will not be available during the wedding ceremony unless a qualified, church sanctioned nursery worker is utilized.  Compensation for the nursery worker will be the responsibility of the Groom and/or Bride and will be paid directly to the worker.
     
12. The church nursery and CWE rooms may not be utilized as a changing room for the bridal party.  Pins and other items left behind may be a health hazard for infants and small children.

The Reception

1. All receptions at MBC (Fellowship Hall) must be approved beforehand by the Pastor/Minister and the dates/time must be placed on the church calendar and applicable fees received.
    
2. Decorations used in the reception hall must not damage the floors, walls, carpeting, or furniture.  Nails, tacks, screws, or scotch tape must not be used on any part of the building or furnishings.  Care should be taken to insure candles do not drip on the floors and carpeting (dripless type of candles only).
    
3. Decorations must be removed immediately following the reception.
    
4. Consumption of alcoholic beverages and use of tobacco products are not permitted on church property.
    
5. Rehearsals, wedding ceremonies, and receptions will not be conducted when any member of the wedding party is under the influence of alcoholic beverages.
    
6. A reasonable length of time (determined by the Pastor or his designate) for the use of the buildings must be observed.
    
7. Kitchen supplies must be provided by the wedding party.
    
8. All trash accumulated by the wedding party and guests must be removed and placed in the trash bin located on church property or transported away from church property and discarded.
    
9. Keys to the reception hall must be returned to the Pastor or his designate immediately after cleanup has been accomplished.
    
10. Birdseed must be cleaned up immediately following the reception.  Birdseed or other forms of confetti should not be thrown inside the buildings.  Please refrain from throwing rice.
     
11. Children must be supervised at all times.
     
12. Cleaning of Reception Hall must be accomplished immediately upon conclusion of reception.
     
13. The church nursery will not be available during the reception.  Children must not be left unattended during the reception.

Fees

1. It is in good taste to adequately compensate all those requested to perform special services.  Fees for musicians, instrumentalists, sound technicians, etc., should be given directly to the person performing the service.  This is usually the responsibility of the groom, bride or their designates.
    
2. The Minister's honorarium is typically the responsibility of the Groom and is usually given to the Minister before the ceremony.
    
3. Church building usage fees should be paid when reserving the church facilities and prior to the date and time being placed on the church calendar.
    
4. Fees and deposits

   Church members and immediate family*:	Use of Sanctuary	No charge
   Church members and immediate family*:	Use of Fellowship Hall	No charge
   Non-church members:	Use of Sanctuary	$500
   Non-church members:	Use of Fellowship Hall	$400
   Church members and Non-members	Cleaning fee, Sanctuary	$150	**
   Church members and Non-members	Cleaning fee, Fellowship Hall	$150	**

*  Church member's immediate family is defined as: ( Mother, Father, Grandparents, Children, Grandchildren, and Legal Guardian relationships).

** May be refunded fully or partially upon inspection of facility