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WEDDING POLICIES
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A
Wedding Request Application
is available for printing in the Adobe Acrobat file
format. The application can be mailed or faxed to the church office. |
At VCL, we want
to help launch healthy homes so we welcome the opportunity to work with
couples planning a Lincolnshire wedding. Our interest is not merely in performing
weddings but in laying a foundation for homes where couples not only love
much but also love well. Essential to our purpose is thorough
pre-marital counseling which we require of any couple being married in our
building or by pastoral staff from our church.
Couples seeking
to be married at VCL need not be members or even attendees at Village
Church. However, they must agree to attend all pre-marital counseling—a
minimum of six sessions. After one or two meetings, the pastor or counselor
will decide whether or not there is adequate health in the relationship for
the church to agree to the wedding. (Generally, we do approve most
weddings.)
At the heart of
our church’s values is a commitment to Biblical truth and devotion to Jesus
Christ. We do not require that couples getting married here accept our
values, but we make no apology for them and believe that they will provide
the strongest possible underpinnings for a strong marriage. We will marry a
man and woman who are both disciples of Jesus Christ, or two who are not,
but in keeping with the Scriptures we will not marry a person who is a
disciple to one who is not.
Pre-marital
counseling will include some personality testing (which couples find to be
fun and very informative), some Bible study, and discussions on
communication, conflict resolution, values, finances and extended
families. Occasionally couples will meet in small groups and other times
will meet with the counselor. Couples consistently tell us that they find
these sessions to be fun and helpful, and the relationships formed with the
pastor or counselor are personal and delightful.
The Pastor will help you plan your
ceremony. Although there is considerable freedom for creativity, he retains
‘the last word’ on what is appropriate for our church, which also includes
all choices of music. Our ministry is here to serve you and yet we must
maintain final approval on matters relative to the marriage ceremony,
including music. This will bring minimum tension and maximum comfort to you
on your wedding day.
Once the wedding date is confirmed in writing,
the wedding coordinator will meet with you to discuss the wedding plans. The
coordinator and you will continue to communicate as need dictates via phone
and personal meeting. The wedding ceremony is finalized by working with the
pastor in planning the specific order of events such as vows, unity candle,
music, Scripture reading, etc. Questions regarding the
florist, photographer, bridal attire purchases or rentals, aisle runner and
seating capacity will be discussed with the coordinator.
Remember that the wedding is taking place in
Lake
County, when you apply for the marriage license.
SETTING THE DATE
Scheduling of
the wedding ceremony must be done well in advance of the intended date. A
minimum or 2 to 3 months is required. This time period allows sufficient
time for counseling and permits advance facility and pastor scheduling for
other ministries of the church.
Your rehearsal
date and time will be scheduled once your wedding date is confirmed. A
confirmation letter is sent once the wedding date is on the church
calendar. The letter states the wedding date and time, the rehearsal date
and time, and the name of the wedding coordinator who will work with you,
along with her phone number.
At the rehearsal, which should start promptly
at the scheduled time, the ceremony is finalized with an actual walk-through
of the entire wedding program with the pastor and the coordinator. All
participants MUST attend, and only the actual participants should be
in the sanctuary during the rehearsal. The duration of the rehearsal is 45
to 60 minutes and requires prompt and complete attendance by everyone
participating in the wedding. Although the musicians must attend, time
may not allow for actual practice during the time of the
rehearsal. If any tapes or CDs are to be used during the ceremony, please
bring them to the rehearsal and give them to the sound technician.
WEDDING FACILITIES
The Village
Church of Lincolnshire seats 250 guests. There is a center aisle that is 50
feet long and it is 5 feet, 2 inches wide. There are 12 pews in the two
center sections and 9 pews on the right side and 7 on the piano, or left,
side. The platform is raised by 2 steps. There are two wooden pedestals
that are 28˝ inches high that can each hold a bouquet of flowers. Candelabras, kneeling bench, and aisle runner can be rented from florists,
party supply stores, or rental companies. The platform is 30˝ feet wide and
9 feet deep. The area in front, between the platform and the first pew is 8
feet. At the front of the church there is a 13 foot, “\/” shaped opening to
the baptistery and cross.
If the
Fellowship Hall is to be used for the reception, you can serve 70 with a
buffet, maybe 90 if it is a sit-down dinner, and perhaps 125 if it is a
stand-up reception with cake and punch. ALL food must be removed
from the church following the reception.
FEES
The cost of a
wedding at VCL has been kept low to further our goal of helping establish
strong homes.
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We charge $450 per wedding for use of the
sanctuary, which includes custodial, technical help and wedding
coordinator. Checks payable to Village Church of Lincolnshire
need to be received in order to have the wedding placed on the
calendar. Additionally, a security deposit of $100 must be remitted if
you are not a regular attender of Village Church of Lincolnshire. (See
also additional policies.) |
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The church does not provide musicians
but will try to help you find qualified people upon request. |
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The officiating minister
and musicians can be thanked through an
honorarium. A typical honorarium for the pastor
might be in the $100-150
range. These honoraria are given to the individuals directly by the
couple. We provide the premarital counseling free of charge, as our gift
to the couple. If you wish to have the Pastor perform your ceremony at
another site, there is no fee beyond the honorarium and travel expenses
given to him. |
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If the Fellowship Hall is used for a
reception an additional fee will be negotiated. |
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ADDITIONAL POLICIES
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Smoking
is not permitted anywhere in the building. |
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Only bubbles may be used outside as the
bridal couple leaves the church. |
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The use of any alcoholic beverages or
liquor is prohibited anywhere on the VCL properties. |
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Everyone must be out of the church
building by 8:00 PM on
Saturday so that the custodian can clean-up and set-up for Sunday
services.
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The $100 security fee is fully refundable
and will be mailed to you if you have fully complied with all these
guidelines. Failure to follow these guidelines will result in charges as
determined by the church to be deducted from the security deposit. |
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We share in
your happiness as you make your wedding plans and begin the beautiful
adventure of marriage. We are anxious to serve you and to do our best to
make your wedding day one that is God-glorifying and the joyous occasion
that you anticipate.
With great
Christian joy we here at Village Church of Lincolnshire are at your service.
“This is the
day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice
and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
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