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A Letter from Pastor Albright
Dear Engaged Couple,
In a society that backs away from the responsibility of relationships, one of the best things
God does is to call hearts together in holy marriage. If you desire to unite in the covenant
of Christian marriage, you are looking in the right place. That is what we are ordained to do!
Receiving this booklet and carefully reading it is the first step in preparation for marriage
in this church. Then call me to set up a brief consultation. During this meeting we will
confirm your wedding date and reserve the church. I request that you meet with me two or three
times for pre-marriage orientation. In these sessions, we will get to know one another so I can
make your "holy day" personal, and explore Christian marriage. All sessions must take place
during normal office hours.
There is no pastoral fee for active church member families. An honorarium of Two Hundred
Fifty Dollars ($250.00) is requested from nonmembers which covers the pre-marriage orientation,
rehearsal, preparation, and wedding. See Wedding Fees for additional fees.
May this journey of love continue to bring you great joy!
~ Thomas H. Albright, Pastor
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Scheduling the Date
To assure the dates and times you are considering for your wedding and rehearsal are available,
they should be cleared with the pastor through the church office. We recommend you do this
as early as possible--even three to six months in advance, so that your special date will be
saved. It is customary for our pastor to officiate in our church weddings unless other
arrangements have been made.
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Marriage License
A marriage license can be obtained at the Snohomish County Courthouse Monday through Friday, 9-5.
The license will be issued to you the day of application but is not valid for three days.
It must be used within 60 days. The cost is $54.00 cash or cashier's check. If you are
both 18 years of age, you do not need a witness. Blood tests are not required in Washington state.
Please bring your license to the church office the Monday before your wedding with the vital
statistics page filled out. The wedding cannot be performed unless the pastor has the
license in hand.
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Wedding Coordinator
Please call the church office to see if the church is available the date you need it, then contact
the church's wedding coordinator, Joan Ricketts (Contact the Church Office for her phone number).
She will answer any of your questions and make an appointment to discuss your plans and expectations
for the wedding. Joan will help make sure your plans are carried out, insuring you a stress-free,
joy-filled day.
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Musicians
The church pianist and organist are available for weddings. They each have a repertoire
of appropriate prelude and postlude music. If you have special requests or wish something
other than the traditional wedding marches, please let the wedding coordinator know. You
may need to provide music, if your selections are something the pianist does not have.
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Soloist
You may select your own soloist or ask the wedding coordinator for suggestions. If the soloist
will not provide his/her own accompaniment, a time for practice with the church pianist needs
to be arranged. (There may be an extra $50 fee for this) Music for the wedding needs to be
discussed and approved by the pastor or coordinator. Some secular selections may be arranged
if balanced with sacred music celebrating the Love of God in Christ.
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Guest Book
A table is provided in the narthex for your guest book. The guest book attendant should
arrive 30 minutes before the wedding.
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Photography and Video
The photographer usually starts 2 hours before the ceremony. The wedding party should be
dressed and ready to go at this time. We have dressing areas for both the men and women.
The photographer should be finished and the sanctuary cleared one-half hour before the
ceremony. It is helpful to the photographer if you make a list of the pictures you want
taken. Please refrain from taking flash pictures during the ceremony.
If you wish to videotape the ceremony, please remember that this is a worship service and
the videotaping needs to be unobtrusive.
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Gifts
You may wish to ask one or two people to receive gifts for you as guests arrive at the
church. (Don't forget scotch tape to attach cards.) Even though you may be planning your
reception away from the church, there will be guests who will bring their gifts into the
church. You may want to ask someone to transport those gifts for you.
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Childcare
Childcare is provided by the church for a nominal fee of $25.00 per nursery attendant.
One nursery attendant is needed for every five children in our care. Let the wedding
coordinator know if you wish to avail yourself of these services.
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Candles and Candelabra
We ask that you use only dripless candles. If you are planning to have a unity candle as
part of you ceremony, you will need to provide it. It is usually a large white candle placed
in the center of the altar table or directly into the altar floral arrangement. The church
provides the brass candlelighters used for lighting the candelabra. Your florist can provide
candelabra or two different styles of candelabra are available at no charge from the church.
The church candelabra hold a total of 14 or 30 candles, depending on the style you choose.
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Flowers
The flowers on the chancel and altar should be living flowers or plants. We prefer not to use
artificial arrangements. Please do not use wire, nails or scotch tape on church furnishings.
Masking or strapping tape may be used with care. Flowers need to be delivered before the
photographer is scheduled to start taking pictures.
You may wish to use the flowers from the sanctuary for the reception. If the reception is at
the church, the wedding coordinator will take care of moving them for you. If the reception is
away from the church, you will need to make arrangements for someone to transport them for you.
It is not necessary to provide flowers for the pianist, wedding coordinator, pastor or any of the
church reception helpers.
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Rehearsal
All members of the wedding party, the parents of the couple and the musicians should attend
the rehearsal. The wedding coordinator will give instructions to the ushers and candlelighters
at this time. Rehearsal takes approximately one hour.
All fees are to be paid at this time.
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Common Courtesies
Smoking and drinking is not permitted on the church premises. Punch at any church reception
should be nonalcoholic
We discourage the throwing of rice or birdseed.
Please do not leave valuables unattended in the dressing rooms.
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Reception
The fellowship hall is available for your reception, and the United Methodist Women
do an excellent job making this part of your wedding run smoothly. They are
responsible for:
1. Setting up tables - lace and/or white tablecloths on each table.
2. Preparing coffee, tea and punch. (Please have punch recipes or directions
written out).
3. Servicing the tables during the reception.
4. Cleaning up dishes, tables and kitchen.
The church provides:
1. Silver service
2. Tablecloths for all tables (for a $40 fee)
3. Serving trays
4. Dishes and flatware
5. Nut and candy dishes
6. Punchbowl and cups
7. Cake knife
The bridal couple provides all food:
1. Coffee (1# serves 100)
2. Tea Bags
3. Sugar/Cream
4. Nuts/Mints
5. Cake
6. Ice Cream, if desired
7. Napkins
8. Punch Ingredients (and recipe)
Any buffet food must be prepared ahead and ready for serving.
You may want to honor friends or family by asking them to serve at your reception.
You may want:
Two to serve cake
Two to serve coffee/punch
One to serve punch
If you want our church women to do these tasks, please make arrangements with the wedding
coordinator
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Wedding Fees
The status of each wedding couple (member, inactive member, nonmember) shall be established
by the clergy person, in consultation with each couple, at the time of the initial interview.
The couple and the Pastor representing the Church will then sign a simple agreement of
understanding. All fees should be paid in full on the night of the rehearsal.
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