The St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Kars Wedding Policy
Requirements:
a) Marriage Preparation Course: You are required to take a Marriage Preparation Course. Rev. Liz offers the Prepare/Enrich Marriage Course which includes 3-5 meetings with her.
b) Meeting with the Minister: You are required to meet at least once with Rev. Liz to prepare the liturgy of the wedding service.
c) Marriage License: You are required to secure a marriage license in the city or town hall in the Province of Ontario. You are required to deliver the license to the church office at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, two weeks prior to the wedding. The reading of the Banns is optional.
Suggested Fees:
Officiating Minister: onsite – $200.00; offsite – $300.00 plus travel based on the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s current travel rate. All fees/balance due (cash or cheque) clearly marked in a separate envelope must be received two weeks prior to the wedding. Payment is made directly to the minister.
Organist/Musician: $150 – Additional $50 if rehearsal is required. Our church organist gets the right of first refusal to play any music. If the church organist is not available due to reasonable circumstances, the couple is responsible in finding an organist or musician for the wedding. All fees/balance due (cash or cheque) clearly marked in a separate envelope must be received two weeks prior to the wedding. Payment for this service is made directly to the organist.
Church Sanctuary: $200.00- for non-members for the use of the church premises during the rehearsal and the day of the wedding. A deposit of $100 for use of the sanctuary is required to secure the wedding date and the balance is due 2 weeks prior to the wedding. The fee is waived for members of St. Andrew’s Church. All fees/balance due (cash or cheque payable to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church) clearly marked in a separate envelope must be received two weeks prior to the wedding.
Custodian/Caretaker: $ 75.00 – includes cleaning the sanctuary and church premise but will not be responsible for removing the decorations used by the wedding party. All fees/balance due (cash or cheque) clearly marked in a separate envelope must be received two weeks prior to the wedding. Payment for this service is made directly to the custodian.
Responsibilities
The Officiating Minister:
The Minister of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church shall:
- be responsible to perform all weddings or will arrange for a substitute in his/her absence.
- meet at least twice with the couple for personal interviews and to discuss the content of the marriage ceremony.
- conduct one rehearsal prior to the ceremony if required.
- recommend marriage liturgies that are in keeping (but not limited to) with the approved liturgies of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.
- reserve the right to refuse to marry on the grounds of moral or professional ethics, or failure to agree to the guidelines established by St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church or based on the Ontario law, when there is suspicion of intoxication by alcohol, drugs or other substances.
The Couple:
The couple is responsible for the following:
- attending church as least twice in the weeks leading up the wedding
- invite a clergy person that they may wish to be included in the ceremony to assist the officiating minister.
- invite a musician where the current church organist refuses or cannot perform his/her function. All music selections must be made in consultation with the musician.
- purchase and produce wedding bulletins.
- provide candles for the ceremony when needed.
- decorate the sanctuary with simple decorations without damaging the pews and other furniture. Confetti, rice or petals are not allowed.
- make arrangements for someone to remove decorations immediately following the ceremony.
- ensure that photography and/or videography be used only at those permitted part in the ceremony which will be discussed with the officiating minister.
The Organist or Musician:
The organist/musician of the church venue shall:
- play for the wedding.
- have the first right of refusal for any wedding.
- be consulted by the couple regarding music selections.