Worship & Music
WEDDINGS AT MOUNT PLEASANT
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
(Please read in entirety prior to calling church)
The officers, staff and congregation of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church are delighted when our members request the church and its staff for the wedding service that will mark the happy occasion. This booklet should answer many of your questions about getting married at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, but please contact our office if you have issues that are not addressed here or which need further explanation.
Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church (MPPC) takes marriage seriously, especially the worship that marks marriage. The Session (governing body) of the church is responsible for weddings, but since they cannot review plans for every wedding at MPPC, oversight is assigned to Worship Ministries, which is solely responsible for the worship service, and to the church's Administrative and Finance departments, which handle the use of church facilities and the billing and receipt of all wedding related fees. This booklet provides information from each of those areas.
You will see several references in this booklet to The Book of Order, which is the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It either governs all we do as Presbyterian Christians, or it tells us who is responsible for answering questions it does not address.
Let us begin then with the constitution's opening statement on marriage:
Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage is a civil contract between a woman and a man. For Christians marriage is a covenant through which a man and a woman are called to live out together before God their lives of discipleship. In a service of Christian marriage a lifelong commitment is made by a woman and a man to each other, publicly witnessed and acknowledged by the community of faith. (W-4.9001)
FOR MPPC MEMBERS
The only persons permitted to have weddings
at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church facilities are those who:
- Are on the membership roll of our church; or
- Have completed new member classes and have been approved by the Session to join the church; or
- Are the child, grandchild, sibling, niece or nephew* of an active church member; or
- Are former members*
*solely with the approval of Worship Ministries and the Senior Pastor
As a member of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church, no doubt you are familiar with the traditions, regulations and customs of your church with respect to weddings. Much of this booklet will refresh for you what you probably already know.
For our newer members, additional wedding fees may apply for one year after you have joined MPPC. The Senior Pastor has the discretion to consider worship participation of new members prior to their joining day in determining any additional fees, which will be confirmed in writing when the wedding request is approved. (see FEES section below)
PLANNING AHEAD
MPPC members should reserve the church facilities and staff for their wedding at the earliest possible time. Our church is popular with our members who are planning weddings, so avoid disappointment and contact the office soon after you have decided to be married. The Senior Pastor must approve all dates.
We suggest a total of 16 persons in the wedding party (excluding the bride and groom and any small children.) More than 16 may block the view of those seated in the pews, especially parents and grandparents. A few more people may be accommodated if our removable steps are used (additional fee.)
In the event of a natural disaster or crisis (i.e. hurricane, earthquake, fire, etc), please check the church telephone recorded message for details. The church has the right to cancel any events due to natural disaster or crisis. It is the responsibility of the bride and groom to contact guests and vendors (i.e. florist, caterer) to notify them of any changes.
WEDDING GUILD
Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church has a Wedding Coordinator who is trained in the logistics of the wedding service. With the pastor, she will direct the rehearsal and will assist at the wedding service.
The Wedding Coordinator is not involved with flowers, photography, decorations, invitations, or the reception. The Wedding Coordinator will not be assigned to a wedding when there is no bridal party or formal rehearsal.
RESERVING THE CHURCH AND STAFF
The church office will begin the process of reserving the sanctuary once your completed application form has been approved. Try to be as specific as possible in your answers. We realize that being both early and exact is not easy, but do the best you can . Sunday weddings are discouraged unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Though it causes some scheduling problems, we can have two weddings on the same day, provided they are scheduled a minimum of four hours apart. This is required to allow the florists to clean up after the first wedding and to set up for the second one. Scheduling rehearsals the night before presents a greater problem, but we will do everything possible to accommodate everyone concerned.
If there is more than one wedding scheduled for a given day, the Wedding Coordinator will gladly provide you with the name and address of those being married on the same day in the event you would like to share flowers and/or other items such as a kneeling bench and candelabra.
MARRIAGE LICENSE
Weddings are one place where church and state meet and cooperate quite nicely. Marriage is not only a covenant relationship between a woman and a man recognized by the church, but marriage is also a contract recognized by the state. Therefore, you are required to have a license issued by the appropriate officer of the court. In South Carolina you can obtain a marriage license in any county seat in the state. South Carolina does not require a blood test but does have a twenty-four hour waiting period between the time you apply for a license and the time the license is issued.
ONE WORD OF CAUTION: The marriage license bureau considers the twenty-four hour period as the full day between the day you apply for the license and the day you pick it up. In other words, if you apply for the license on Monday, the twenty-four hour waiting period is Tuesday and you can pick up the license on Wednesday.
The license will be issued in three copies, each of which must be signed. One copy will be given to you on the day of the wedding, or it can be mailed to you the following week. That copy is considered a certified copy. The church office will send the other two copies to the court to be recorded.
IF YOU HAVE BEEN DIVORCED
Couples planning to be married in a religious ceremony often ask whether a given church will perform weddings for those whose previous marriages ended in divorce. In brief, most times we do.
In the Presbyterian Church (USA) the matter of remarrying divorced persons is left to each pastor's discretion. Under most circumstances, our pastors have agreed to perform the ceremony for divorced men and women and to make the facilities of the church available for that purpose. This does not mean that the pastors of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church take marriage vows less seriously than other pastors. It does mean that our pastors take the matter of forgiveness very seriously indeed.
For those who are divorced, please do not be surprised or offended if the pastor is quite pointed in questioning you. The simple fact is that people change ever so slowly, if at all, and it is very easy for well-intentioned people to repeat mistakes in more than one marriage.
LITURGY FOR WEDDINGS AS WORSHIP
The only requirement of the Presbyterian Church (USA) regarding liturgy for weddings is that they be conducted as an act of worship. In other words, the denomination does not have a prescribed ceremony that must be used. Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church is happy both with that requirement and with that freedom. As is true of all worship services, the focal point of the wedding ceremony will always be the God who has called us to worship and on whom the community of faith is calling to bless your marriage.
The pastor who will lead worship will gladly provide you with suggested liturgies and other liturgical resources, varying from the very traditional to the more contemporary. The pastor will also assist you in creating a worship service that is uniquely your own.
If a program is to be distributed to the worshippers, the pastor must view this before it is printed. The church does not print programs.
MUSIC FOR WEDDINGS AS WORSHIP
In keeping with the requirement that weddings at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church are conducted as an act of worship, the expectation is that all wedding music, both instrumental and vocal, will be sacred music (Book of Order W-4.9005). Responsibility for selection of music for worship at our church is assigned by the Session to the Worship Ministry Team. The Worship Ministry Team, in turn, has secured the services of professional church musicians who will work with couples to select the music they would like at their wedding, and to suggest appropriate music and/or to advise them on the appropriateness of their requests. In all events, every effort will be made to assure that you are pleased with the final selections.
While our church does not have staff soloists, there are a number of solo voices in the choirs. The church musicians will tell you how you may contact them, if you wish. The church musician also will be happy to work with a soloist of your choice.
WHAT STAFF IS INVOLVED
Please note that reserving church facilities will not automatically reserve certain church staff. The pastor, organist and sexton must be reserved separately. The church office may help with that but cannot commit staff members without consulting them first. The Wedding Coordinator will be present at the rehearsal and the wedding.
GUEST PASTORS
The Session, through its Worship Ministry Team, has assigned responsibility for worship at weddings to the pastors of this church. One of them will be responsible for conducting the wedding ceremony. If there is a pastor who is a friend or relative of the bride and/or groom, under certain circumstances the Mount Pleasant Presbyterian pastor who is officiating at your wedding may ask the Session to invite the friend to participate in the worship service. The guest pastor will be assigned appropriate parts of the service.
GUEST MUSICIANS
The Book of Order is helpful in guiding the selection of music for weddings and in keeping the selections in proper perspective: Music suitable for the marriage service directs attention to God and expresses the faith of the Church. The congregation may join in hymns and other musical forms of praise and prayer. (W-49.005) In keeping with that requirement, the Session, through its Worship Ministry Team, has assigned responsibility for music at weddings to the Director of Music Ministries of the church. If the couple wishes someone other than the church organist to accompany worship at the wedding, the church organist is often willing to invite the guest musician to do so. Guest soloists (see above) and other instrumentalists may also be invited to participate in leading worship. In all events, however, the Director of Music Ministries of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church is the person assigned responsibility for final approval of all music selections.
COUNSELING SERVICES
Once again, The Book of Order is helpful: In preparation for the marriage service, the Pastor asked to lead the service shall provide for a discussion with the man and the woman concerning:
- The nature of their Christian commitment, assuring that at least one is a professing Christian,
- The legal requirements of the state,
- The privileges and responsibilities of Christian marriage
- The nature and form of the marriage service,
- The vow and commitments they will be asked to make,
- The relationship of these commitments to their lives of discipleship,
- The resources of the faith and the Christian community to assist them in fulfilling their marriage commitments.(W-4.9002)
To meet this requirement and because the Session believes it is important, at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church the couple is asked to meet with the officiating pastor several times before the ceremony. The pastor may suggest or require further meetings. It is also the prerogative of the pastor to decline to perform the wedding if, after consultation with the couple, it is judged that the marriage is unwise. (Book of Order W-4.9002)
THE SANCTUARY
The Mount Pleasant Presbyterian sanctuary seats 500 guests comfortably in pews, with 300 persons on the main level and 100 more in each of the two galleries. There is limited, additional space for folding chairs. A small balcony over the narthex can seat thirty.
The sanctuary is equipped with a magnificent thirteen rank tracker pipe organ. The organ, dated from 1886, is Maestro Hilborne Roosevelt's opus 233 and is recognized as one of the finest of its kind in the Charleston Area. The sanctuary is also equipped with a German two-manual harpsichord by Jacques Way and a Kimball grand piano.
DECORATIONS
Notice again The Book of Order: Flowers, decorations, and other appointments should be appropriate to the place of worship, enhance the worshiper's consciousness of the reality of God, and reflect the integrity and simplicity of Christian life. (W-4.9005)
One attraction of the Mount Pleasant Presbyterian sanctuary as a setting for weddings is its simple beauty. Most people agree that our sanctuary is most lovely when it is least decorated. Reputable florists will respect the good judgment regulations meant to protect our sanctuary and its furnishings from fire or marring. They must take proper precautions to protect the furniture and floor when candles, potted plants, and flowers are used. The florist will confirm with the church office as to the best time to set up and remove decorations so as to avoid conflict with church programs.
It is the florist's responsibility to remove all decorations from the church immediately after the ceremony. Any person or firm disregarding these rules may be deprived of future access. Any florist that you use will want to know several things:
- Only dripless, mechanical candles may be used.
- The church owns candle lighters but not candelabra.
- The window ledges are too narrow for candles or other decorations.
- To decorate the windows, stands are required.
- The church has a kneeling bench.
- The communion table, baptismal font, pulpit chairs and pulpit may be moved.
- The use of a "unity candle" is not allowed.
- We also have removable steps which may be used for large wedding parties at an addition fee.
REHEARSAL
If there is to be more than one attendant each for the bride and groom, it is advisable to have a rehearsal for the wedding ceremony. Most often the rehearsal is scheduled for the evening before the wedding. All those in the wedding party plus as many of the honored guests as practical should attend the rehearsal.
You can expect the rehearsal to last approximately one hour but may want to allow additional time if you are planning a party after the rehearsal that will begin at a specific time.
Please do everything possible to assure prompt arrival at the rehearsal since more than one rehearsal may be scheduled in a single evening. The marriage license should be delivered to the church office prior to the rehearsal.
DRESSING ROOMS
Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church does not have a "bride's room" where the bride and her attendants can dress. What is available is the women's restroom in the Fellowship Hall. After the bridal party is dressed, the Parlor will be available solely for the purpose of waiting for the ceremony to begin. The Parlor is not to be used to apply makeup or hair products, or to consume food or drink.
PHOTOGRAPHERS
The Session and Worship Ministry Team understand the significance of photographing what will surely be one of the most important days of your life. At the same time, the Session and Worship Ministry Team also think that it is important to protect the dignity and reverence of worship at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church.
To strike a balance between those sometimes conflicting concerns, and on recommendation of the Worship Ministry Team and approval by the Session, MPPC allows still photographs to be taken only before the worship service begins and after the worship service ends. Worship is defined as beginning when the presiding pastor enters the sanctuary and ending when the presiding pastor leaves the sanctuary. During worship, pictures may only be taken in the Narthex of the church through the windows in the doors.
Videotaping of your wedding can take place ONLY from the BALCONY over the narthex where there is a space for a noiseless video camera. No additional lighting is allowed. No flash pictures are permissible in the sanctuary during the ceremony. The wedding party can assemble for pictures before or after worship. This regulation covers professional photographers, non-professional photographers and guests.
Photographers should plan to speak with the Wedding Coordinator prior to worship so there will be no misunderstanding of this regulation.
CLEANING THE CHURCH
The Wedding Party is responsible for leaving the church facilities clean, orderly and arranged for the next function. Since most weddings are on Saturday, this requirement can be readily understood and appreciated. It is mandatory to employ the church sexton, who is scheduled separately by the church office, to provide cleaning services. If you reserve the Fellowship Hall, the sexton will empty garbage and trash containers only; the kitchen itself is not available for use by outside caterers.
Rice is not to be used inside or outside the buildings. Rice can cause a guest to slip, and if it becomes wet, rice is very difficult to clean up.
ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO
Except for the possible use of wine at communion services, no alcoholic beverages will be consumed on the church premises. All of the buildings of the Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church have been designated as smoke free.
NOTES FOR USHERS
- Be present at least one hour before the service begins.
- Be assured dress is proper and have boutonnieres pinned on. Designated ushers should light the candles 30 minutes before the service.
- Reserve the correct number of pews for the bride and groom's families.
- Always usher women on your right arm. If two women are together, use two ushers to seat them.
- An usher does not offer his arm to a man unless he is very feeble and needs help. The usher does walk in front of a male guest as he shows him to his seat.
- If several couples arrive together and there is a shortage of ushers at the time, an usher offers his right arm to the eldest woman and the other couples follow, women walking first. The usher then seats the couples together.
- Usher teenage girls but not small children; who walk behind their parents.
- Line up on the left in the narthex so that you can offer your right arm to each female guest as she appears.
- Ushers should talk to guests in a very low voice.
- Make sure you know your assignment in seating the mothers. The groom's mother is the first mother to be escorted to a seat before the wedding begins, and the last mother to be escorted out after the wedding. The bride's mother is the last person to be escorted to her seat before the wedding, and the first escorted out after the wedding. No other person is escorted to a seat after the mothers are seated. Any late arrivals should take their seats in the balcony.
FEES
Our members who choose to have their wedding service at Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church do not pay a fee for the use of the Sanctuary. Instead, there is a single, all-inclusive fee of $1,150, which includes all costs for the required services of our staff members. As of March 10, 2009, the following fees are in effect:
*Honorarium to the officiating Pastor (for premarital counseling, the rehearsal and the wedding service)
*Sexton (for the Sanctuary and Parlor)
*MPPC Organist (optional - couples may hire outside musicians; all music played must be classical or spiritual)
*Wedding Guild Team (to direct the rehearsal and wedding)
*Sound Engineer (for the rehearsal and wedding)
*An extra fee will be assessed if the removable steps are used
Please note that there are additional costs to use our Fellowship Hall for a rehearsal dinner or reception. To reserve this space, contact the church offices to determine its availability and the costs. Additional fees also will apply if you request the harpsichord or have several soloists (requiring extra rehearsals with our organist).
For those who have not been members of Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church for at least one year prior to the wedding date, there is a different fee schedule. A non-refundable deposit of $500 will be required after your wedding application is approved but before the date can be reserved on our church calendar, with the remaining balance payable as determined by the Finance Department. Here again, the services requested will affect the final fee.
with any questions, to check on available dates or to request an application.