Thank you for considering Glendale Presbyterian Church (GPC) for your wedding ceremony. Our church has always held the covenant of Christian marriage in the highest honor. It is our desire that your wedding be all that you have dreamed and hoped it would be and that it will be a serious and joyful commitment by you to love one another and to honor Jesus Christ.
May God’s blessing be with you throughout these days of preparation, and may the home that you establish be a source of security and joy to you and a blessing to others.
Sincerely,
The Pastors and Session of
Glendale Presbyterian Church
To reserve a date on the calendar, call the church office at 818.242.8873 and ask to speak with the Wedding Director. If the date you have selected is available, it can be secured in two ways:
1. If you are a member of GPC, you need only ask to reserve the date and time.
2. If you are not a member of GPC, a deposit of $400 is required to secure the date. The date will be held for a maximum of ten days until the deposit is received. The deposit is non-refundable.
A “Wedding Request Form” will be mailed to you along with our wedding booklet. Please complete and return the form promptly if you are a member. If you are not a member, please complete the form and return it together with your required deposit.
Choosing the Minister
It is the responsibility of the bride and groom to select and invite the minister of their choice to officiate at their wedding ceremony. We are frequently asked if a minister from another church can perform the ceremony. The answer is “yes,” within the following guidelines:
1. The visiting minister must be from a church that is recognizably Christian and will receive a formal letter of invitation from GPC.
2. The procedures and policies set forth by the elders of GPC are to be respectfully observed, as interpreted by the Church’s Wedding Director.
If you are not a member and have arranged for your own minister, our minister’s fee is omitted. This means that the responsibility of the fee or honorarium for the minister belongs to the bride and groom.
Pre-Marital Counseling
If you are being married by a minister from GPC, pre-marital counseling is required. If you are not a member and have arranged for your own minister, you will follow his or her guidance. The Wedding Coordinator can help you with counseling recommendations.
Wedding Coordinator
It is important for you to know that the Wedding Coordinator has been asked by the elders of the church to give guidance to your wedding. If you have any questions regarding the time of weddings or the church policies, the coordinator will be happy to assist you.
GPC has a fine staff of wedding personnel who will help you carry out your wedding plans. They know the facilities and the many ways weddings can be staged.
Your coordinator will meet with you a month or so before the wedding to learn what your wishes are concerning the staging of the ceremony (your wishes are paramount) and help you plan the details: who is to be involved and what they are to do, how and in what order.
The Coordinator is valuable in helping you through the day by relieving you, the bride and groom and your families, of the details. This frees you to make your memories very special and long-lasting, not hectic and chaotic.
Additional Information
GENERAL PLANNING: Since a Christian marriage is a sacred event, reverence is expected from all those who participate. When planning your wedding ceremony, it is important to remember that it is to take place in the context of worship in God’s presence.
SEATING: The sanctuary accommodates approximately 900 people. Smaller weddings of fewer than 50 guests can be held in Edmonds Chapel.
TIME ALLOTMENT: The time frame for each wedding is a total of 4 hours. This is plenty of time for all of your plans to be accomplished. Overtime may be arranged for and is billed at $100 per hour.
MUSIC: The GPC organist will be the official organist for all ceremonies. If you want to bring in another organist, our organist must approve him or her, and a bench fee will be required. One month’s notice is requested if you choose not to use the official organist. In addition, you may bring in any other instruments you wish or even a whole band or choir. Your choices are endless, but check it out with your coordinator. The Coordinator also has many names of musicians and soloists on file. You may call upon her for referrals.
It is the responsibility of the Wedding Coordinator to notify the organist regarding all weddings on the church calendar. The Coordinator will put you in touch with him/her in plenty of time to discuss your ceremony music. Music must be approved by the church organist. If you are not using GPC’s organist, all music must be approved by the Director of Worship Arts at GPC. Your Coordinator will help facilitate this process.
SOUND TECHNICIAN: Your Coordinator will make all necessary arrangements for your needs. We have very sophisticated sound equipment and therefore probably everything you will need. As a service to you, the Church will provide one audio-CD of your ceremony at the conclusion.
SANCTUARY FURNISHINGS: A reasonable effort will be made to accommodate your wishes regarding furnishings in the sanctuary. Limitations may exist, due to policy, seasonal layouts or special events.
FLOWERS and DECORATIONS: You are welcome to be as creative as you like with flowers and greenery. However, their placement needs to be guided by your Coordinator, as she is the one who knows who is standing where and what movement will take place. You are free to take all floral arrangements with you after the ceremony. If you want to decorate the center aisle, you may do so. There are 17 pews on each side. Please do not attach anything with wire or tape. Most florists use big rubber bands, which work well. You may use a runner if you wish. Throwaway runners are not permitted because they are slippery and can tear on the rocky surface. If you still want a runner, ask your florist to provide a 100-foot cloth runner. The florist is also responsible for laying the runner and taping it in place. Please remember that if you are having formal photography ahead of the ceremony, the runner will need to be laid back and then replaced before the ceremony.
CANDLES and CANDELABRAS: We provide two 15-branch candelabras, the Unity candelabra and all of the candles for them. If you want something in addition to or other than these, please inform your Coordinator. Aisle candles are available for an additional cost (see fee schedule). Only GPC aisle candles will be permitted. Please note that the Unity candle cannot be lit with a veil/blusher over the bride’s face. We do have ways of handling this to the satisfaction of both the bride and the Glendale Fire Department. Your Coordinator will discuss it with you.
DRESSING FACILITIES: There is a bride’s room available under the supervision of the Coordinator. We also have a room for men to dress in, although it is not an official groom’s room.
REHEARSAL: A rehearsal is essential for a smoothly run ceremony. At the rehearsal the Coordinator will (in accord with your wishes) advise each participant as to what they are to do, and when and how they are to do it. She will then walk everyone through the process. This involves such details as the lighting of candles or candelabras (who is to do it, when and how), the seating of family members (which ushers, when and in what order), the processional (order, spacing, timing, and how to walk), guidance, especially for the long-gowned, on ascending and descending stairs (not to mention kneeling), advice for the bridal party as to how and where to stand during the ceremony and the recessional (order, spacing, etc).
Approximately 1½ hours are set aside for each wedding rehearsal. Please arrive on time with all of your attendants, including all groomsmen, ushers, bridesmaids, best man, maid/matron of honor, flower girl(s), ringbearer(s), parents, minister, anyone who might be reading anything other than what the minister reads, and any soloist(s)/musicians who might want to see the flow of the ceremony. Music is not part of the rehearsal; therefore, the musicians or organist are not required to be there.
Anyone speaking into or singing into a microphone on the wedding day will need to be on-site for sound checks at least one hour ahead of the ceremony time.
Children in the wedding party are always a blessing. We ask however, that they be old enough to go down the aisle with guidance and a minimum of screaming, kicking and/or crying. We also encourage you to place the real wedding rings in the pocket of the best man rather than on the pillow of the ringbearer…we cannot be responsible for rings that may fall off the pillow, whether during the processional or at some other time. Rings that are tied loosely can fall off. Rings that are tied tightly to the pillow can be hard to get off at the given time. Remember that the children generally do not stand with the wedding party throughout the entire ceremony.
The marriage license is to be given to the Wedding Coordinator the night of the rehearsal. The Coordinator will complete the license with all of the correct signatures and will prepare it for mailing. According to Presbytery rules and bylaws, the Church must handle this process.
PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY: We have particular guidelines regarding photography. We want to help you remember every moment of your ceremony, but it is important that the ceremony not be interrupted; therefore, all photos taken during the ceremony must be taken from the balcony with available light. Please assure your photographer that all attendants will be facing the balcony during the ceremony and the bride and groom will be facing each other for most of the service. You may have as many video cameras as you like, but…the videographer must be sensitive to the needs of the still photographer, and the guests must not be able to see the operator or the video tripod.
We like to be as flexible, reasonable and cooperative as possible, so please tell your photographer to talk to us about things they want to do in order to best capture your wedding. They just might be surprised at what we agree to. We invite photographers to call or come by to discuss the photography plans.
CARE of the FACILITIES: Because we care about our facilities, we have policies and guidelines that we need you to adhere to:
1. The presence or use of drugs or of alcoholic beverages on church premises is prohibited.
2. Smoking is not permitted inside the church.
3. Please do not provide rice, confetti, birdsee, or any other material for your guests to throw. This is dangerous and creates excessive work for our custodians.
4. Wedding fees are subject to change without prior notice.
5. GPC does not have facilities for receptions or any type of food service.
If you would like additional information, please contact our Wedding Coordinator, Katie Ingram at
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.