YOUR WEDDING AT New River Wesleyan Church

Congratulations to both of you on having made one of the most significant decisions of your lives! While we believe making Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior is the most important life-changing decision you can make, choosing the one with whom you will spend the rest of your life in the sacred covenant of marriage is incredibly significant. Now that you have chosen to commit yourselves to one another, we encourage you to make and keep Christ the center of your engagement, your marriage and your home.

At New River Wesleyan Church , we are committed to working with you to see that your wedding places God at its center and is worshipful, memorable and personal. May God continue to bless you as you look to Him for guidance regarding this important event.

 GENERAL WEDDING GUIDELINES

Either the bride or groom needs to be “active” participants in the life of the New River Wesleyan Church for at least three months prior to the wedding date. If you do not meet this guideline then there will be a usage fee of $150. This pays for the extra cleaning services that are required and utilities.

Times available for weddings at NRWC are as follows: Weddings cannot be scheduled on Sundays or when there is a church calendar conflict. The building is available for the wedding ceremony only, the reception will need to be held elsewhere. The auditorium has a seating capacity of 150.

All scheduling must be done through the church office at least 90 days in advance. If there is a usage fee the check must be paid at the time the date is confirmed. Please make checks out to NewRiver Wesleyan Church . The application and check should be mailed to the church at 1545 N. Andrews Ave. Ft. Lauderdale , FL 33311 .

The wedding must be performed by a member of the pastoral staff at New River Wesleyan Church . He will provide a suggested wedding ceremony which will be reviewed with you prior to the wedding rehearsal. Due to the tremendous amount of time a wedding rehearsal and ceremony take please give consideration to the minister by being punctual and on time for the ceremony.

The bride and her family will schedule all vendors. The person scheduling the wedding will be held liable for any damage to carpets, furniture or buildings so it is important that you carefully note the guidelines included herein and make sure that the vendors are so informed. New River Wesleyan Church reserves the right to restrict the privileges of any outside vendor who violates the wedding policy of the church.

A one-hour rehearsal will be scheduled some time the week preceding the wedding. It must begin and end on time and should include all members of the wedding party. Please remember to give your marriage license to the Pastor on the night of the rehearsal.

New River Wesleyan Church pastors use an approved script for the wedding ceremony. Some changes to the vows will be allowed. It is the final decision of the Pastor to allow extra scripture readings, poems and etcetera to the wedding ceremony.

No alcoholic beverages or smoking are allowed in the building or on the church grounds. No one under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be allowed to participate in the rehearsal or wedding.

FLOWERS AND DECORATIONS

Florists will have access to the location of the wedding ceremony two hours prior to the wedding. When the ceremony is concluded and all photography completed, we ask that all areas be cleaned and all flowers and decorations be removed immediately. The church cannot store any wedding decorations nor is it responsible for any items left behind by vendors. Church furniture or decorations are not to be moved.

No decoration of any kind is to be applied to walls, ceilings or glass. Florist wire, ribbon or pipe cleaners may be used when necessary but nails, staples and adhesives of any kind are not permitted.

No plain wax candles are to be used. Candles need to be spring loaded or paradise brand. Votive or dripless candles may be used in hurricane lamps. Aisle candles are permitted in hurricane lamps only. In order to protect the carpet and furniture, plastic material must be placed under all floral arrangements and candles.

Only birdseed may be thrown outside of the building.

MUSIC

If the ceremony requires use of multi-media equipment then the church office will book an approved technician. Due to the sophisticated nature of the sound and lighting system in the auditorium, only a NRWC technician can operate them.

The CD’s and / or audio tapes must be turned into the church office no later than 2 weeks prior to the ceremony to be pre-approved. After they are pre-approved, we will forward them to the sound technician to be used for your wedding ceremony. Only music that is suitable for a worship service may be used. Sacred, contemporary Christian, hymns and classical instrumental music are appropriate. Some secular wedding and love songs are permissible with approval.

The church office can assist you in obtaining instrumentalists and vocalists for your wedding; however, all financial arrangements will be your responsibility. You can expect to pay anywhere from $35.00 to $150.00 per musician.

v Vocalists do not attend rehearsals.

v Music is not a part of rehearsals unless arrangements are made with the officiating pastor.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY

The location chosen for the wedding and the surrounding church grounds, when available, may be used for photographs immediately before and after the ceremony. Once the ceremony begins the photographer should remain stationary to prevent any disruption to the ceremony. The church does not provide a video camera, however videotaping is allowed. Video equipment should be positioned in fixed locations during the ceremony.

Please note: The ceremony will not be delayed if the photographer is not on time.

OFFICIATING MINISTER FEES

The officiating ministers fee is not included in the facility usuage fee. Many ministers have set fees ranging from $100 - $300, depending on the size of the wedding and the number of sessions they spend in marriage counseling. NRWC minister's do not have set fees but allow your discretion in this matter.

PREMARITAL COUNSELING

It is required that all couples being married at New River Wesleyan Church have at least three pre-marital counseling sessions with the pastor who will perform their ceremony. Individual Pastors may require more sessions depending on different variables.

REMINDERS

The local church is called ‘the Bride of Christ’ and we ask that you treat it with reverence and respect. Members of the wedding party and guests must abide by the guidelines set forth in this document. Any breech of these guidelines will result in the immediate removal of the wedding party and guests from the church campus.

NEXT STEPS

If you want further information regarding weddings at New River Wesleyan Church or if you want to check possible dates for your ceremony, contact the church office at 954-763-6341.

THE ENGAGEMENT COVENANT  - Please Give Prayerful Consideration to the Following 

Believing that marriage is a holy and sacred gift from God, it is our desire that couples approach marriage according to biblical standards and in a way that is pleasing to God. In this regard, Pastors reserve the right to decline officiating a wedding if couples do not agree with sacredness of the “engagement covenant” which includes the following:

1. A Covenant of Belief – Believing that God has intended Christians to marry only Christians, we will only marry a non-Christian and a Christian in extenuating circumstances. We would encourage that both bride and groom individually come to an understanding and acceptance of Christ’s sacrificial death, and that commitment to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be made evident. (11 Corinthians 6:14-16; Romans 10:9-10)

2. A Covenant of Purity – Believing that the sexual relationship has been designed and intended for marriage, we ask that you seriously consider the biblical exhortation pertaining to such. This would also include living arrangements such as cohabitation.

(1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13)

3. A Covenant of Faithfulness – Believing that the Church is God’s Greenhouse to grow strong marriages, we ask that you find a place of involvement in His Church, the Body of Christ, and pursue a lifestyle of faithfulness to your church family. (Hebrews 10:19-25)