A Northbridge Wedding

 

We are honored that you are considering Northbridge Church as the location for your wedding ceremony. We will do everything we can to see that your wedding and wedding rehearsal go as smoothly as possible. This page includes the wedding guidelines that have been approved by our Church Board. These guidelines equally apply to members, regular attendees, and guests.

Wedding Date

Date: Before you may secure the facilities at Northbridge for your wedding you must:

1. Fill out a wedding application form and
2. Attend the first pre-marital counseling session and commit to pre-marriage counseling
   
3. Take the P.R.E.P.A.R.E marital assessment. ($35)
   

Procedure:

1. To have your wedding date scheduled, call the church office (269-385-4378) and we will send to you or you may pick up a Wedding Information packet. Please fill out the application form with your deposit and return it to the church office.
2. The Wedding Coordinator and Pastor will be contacted by the church office with a tentative ceremony date.
3. After completing the wedding packet, the Bride and Groom are to schedule an appointment with the Pastor for their first session of pre-marital counseling and take the P.R.E.P.A.R.E marital assessment.
4. If the Wedding Coordinator is available the date will be kept tentatively on the calendar until the couple meets for the first session of premarital counseling. After the first counseling session and evaluation of the marital assessment, and the deposit has been received by the church office, the desired wedding date may be officially approved by the church staff and scheduled on the church calendar.

Day/Time: Weddings can be scheduled on most any day and time, including Sunday, as long as it does not interfere with regularly scheduled church events.

• You may secure your wedding date up to nine months in advance.
  
• A wedding on the days of Sunday through Friday can be scheduled for no later than 7:00pm and the church must be vacated completely by 9:00pm.
  
• A Saturday wedding may be scheduled no later than 5 pm so the building is vacated by 7pm.
  
• The scheduled time for the rehearsal is 6 pm the day before the wedding and the church must be completely vacated by 9 pm.
  

Pre-marital Counseling
An engaged couple must participate in premarital counseling (six sessions).  We will also be glad to conduct these sessions or recommend someone to perform these sessions. All premarital counseling must be approved by the officiating Northbridge pastor.

Church Wedding Coordinator
The Northbridge Church Wedding Coordinator will act as a liaison between the engaged couple and the church. She may assist you in the following ways:

1. Oversee the wedding rehearsal. The bride, groom, their parents/family, the attendants, the ushers, and the musicians must be present. The officiate must be present. Allow for approximately one hour for the wedding rehearsal.
2. Consult with bride/groom regarding childcare, clean-up, audio-visual specialist and musicians.
   
3. Provide information to bride/groom regarding church facilities, policies, and options for wedding set-up. The church comfortably sets and has chairs for 200 people. (At this time, Northbridge Church does not offer wedding equipment (i.e. candelabras, etc.) or storage space for your wedding equipment.)
4. Be present before, during, and after the wedding to answer questions and cue parents, attendants, ushers, and musicians. She will also be available to provide last minute supplies as needed by bride/groom (i.e. iron, sewing kit, etc.)
5. Northbridge's facilities are not adequate for wedding receptions. On rare occasion is this approved and additional fees apply.
   

• No smoking is allowed in the building.
• Alcohol is also prohibited in or around the building.

Officiates
You are welcome to ask any of our ministers to perform your wedding if they are available. You may also choose someone not affiliated with Northbridge Church. However, this person must be approved by the Pastor.

An engaged couple must purchased a marriage license to be signed by witnesses and the officiant on the wedding day. Please bring the marriage license to the rehearsal. The wedding will not be performed without it.

Music

We know that music is a very personal part of the wedding ceremony. Therefore, most music is permitted. However, your musical choices will need to be approved by a pastoral staff member.

Audio/Visual

If your wedding requires the use of the church sound system, the church Wedding Coordinator will secure the sound technician for you.  The sound technician will be available at the rehearsal to run through the songs with the musicians and set the volume levels for the wedding ceremony. We also have video playback and recording capabilities. The sound tech will also help with the tear-down and reset of the stage area. The fee for these services will be outlined in the “fees” section.  Only the church's technician is allowed to use the sound equipment.

Flowers & Decorations

The bride/groom are responsible for consulting a florist who must check in with the Wedding Coordinator prior to decorating.  Please provide your florist with the Wedding Coordinators contact information.  Flowers used must be in clean, rust free, leak proof containers. Any plant already located in the church must not be moved or relocated without permission of the Wedding Coordinator.

Only church approved candles are to be used during the wedding ceremony. You may not utilize any form of nail, thumbtack or other sharp, potentially destructive object when decorating the worship center. Further, any tape or pins used to secure things such as an aisle runner must be pre-approved by the wedding coordinator.

The Wedding Coordinator must be advised in advance of any scheduled deliveries made to the church before the wedding (i.e. flowers, candelabras, etc.).

Please make an appointment through the church office (269-385-4378) if you desire to come by the church to make decoration/set-up decisions at any time prior to your wedding.

Photographers

The bride/groom are responsible for hiring a photographer of their choosing. It is recommended that the photographer check in with the Wedding Coordinator on the wedding day and direct any questions to her. Photographs may be taken before, during, and/or after the wedding ceremony.

Wedding Set-up & Clean-up

The church will be available to begin decorating at 10:00 a.m. on the day of the wedding rehearsal. Earlier arrangements may result in a set-up fee. As you are decorating, please keep in mind that you may not move anything within the church without prior permission (stage equipment, chairs, hall decorations/furniture, etc.). You may not continue decorating after your wedding rehearsal.

Any items that will be "thrown" at the bride/groom upon their exit from the church must be approved by the Wedding Coordinator.

It is the responsibility of the bride/groom and their families to see that any equipment not belonging to Northbridge Church is removed promptly after the wedding. The Wedding Coordinator must be given the name and telephone number of a contact person (who is not in the wedding party) who will be responsible for seeing that these items are removed from the church. This person will also be responsible for any lost and found items to be picked up at the church. Reminder: plan the ceremony to allow adequate time to vacate the building by the appropriate time.

Dressing Areas

A bride’s room is available for the bride and her attendants prior to the start of the wedding. The groom and his attendants may choose to use the Pastor\'s Study when dressing for the wedding. Both areas are near restrooms. These rooms cannot be guaranteed to be secure at all times. Any personal items, including money, are the owner’s responsibility. Please do not use any other rooms for dressing without permission from the wedding coordinator.

 Receptions

Due to the limited size of our facilities, we are not able to host receptions at the church.  An exception my apply to wedding events that are very small.  Addition fees may be required.

Fees and Honorariums

Fees

1. The following fees are for members and regular attenders of Northbridge Church.  A separate fee structure applies for couples who are interested in using the services of Northbridge Church for their wedding but do not have a long standing record of attending.  Northbridge is open to providing these services.  Please contact the church office for the current fee structure for non-attenders.  The base cost begins at $700 for non-attenders.
   
2. Members and regular attenders will not be charged a general fee to use the Northbridge Church facilities. However, a $100 up-front damage deposit is required. (To accompany the application form.) The damage deposit is returned after the wedding given that there is no physical abuse to the facilities.
3. A $250 coordinator fee is required and may be paid to the church at least 60 days prior to the wedding rehearsal. The wedding date and all wedding services will be forfeited if this fee is not received 60 days prior to the wedding.*
   
4. The fee for the sound technician is $125 which includes tear down, setup, working the rehearsal, the wedding and doing an additional sound check for the following Sunday service. If an additional audio/visual person is need there is a $50 fee which includes their services during the rehearsal and the wedding.*
   
5. A $35 fee is required for the P.R.E.P.A.R.E. marriage inventory.
6. Chair setup and take down fee is an additional $100 if you desire more or a different setup then what is currently in the auditorium. This fee is waived for members and may be refunded if the wedding party supplies an adequate number of volunteers to be scheduled at the wedding coordinators discretion to setup and re-setup the auditorium.
   
7. These fees are subject to change.

 * The Bride and Groom are not obligated to invite the Wedding Coordinator, sound tech or computer/visual tech to the rehearsal dinner or the reception.

Honorariums

• Honorariums for the officiate(s), while customary are not required for members  of Northbridge Church.  A separate fee structure exists for non-attenders.  Please consult the church office or Pastor for these fees. 
  

• If the either the bride or the groom is a member at Northbridge it is the preference of the Pastors that no honorarium is given to the Pastor. To perform a wedding ceremony of a church member is a privilege and an honor.