Planning and Preparing for Your Wedding
We send our best wishes to you and give thanks to God that you have found the kind of love together that has brought you to this moment in your lives. We are so happy for you and we look forward to sharing your special day as you celebrate your love before God, your families and the community. May God bless you with all things good!
Planning and Preparation With the Rector : Leave Lots of Time!
If you wish to learn more about being married in the church or having your same-sex or heterosexual civil union union blessed in the Church, please speak directly with the Rector of the parish, Rev'd. Cathy Lee at least sixty days in advance of the date that your are hoping for. If you aren't already attending services at the Church of the Good Shepherd, please join us for worship and you can have a word with Rev'd. Cathy Lee following the service. You can also obtain a copy of our marriage and blessing of civil unions brochure at the church, which outlines all of the particulars as well as a request form that you will need to fill out. This is a part time parish, the fee for the Rector's Services is $200.00.
Planning for the Service Music
You will want to be sure to book our organist and/or other musicians well in advance of the date that you settle upon with the Rector. It is your responsibility to do this. The cost for the organist is normally between $100.00 and $150.00 for our organist. If you choose to have a soloist, guitarist, etc, you will need to negotiate their fees directly with them. If you choose an organist other than our own, a bench fee of $75.00 is required to be paid to our organist. In addition to the bench fee, you will then have to pay the organist that you choose the fee that they charge for their services.
Donation to the Church
We ask that you make a minimum donation of $150.00 to the parish for the use of the church.
Decorating the Church and Floral Arrangements
We will ensure the beauty of the church building for your wedding. This will include changing the church hangings to white and preparing the sanctuary. It will be your responsibility to provide the flowers that you would like. We have many vases in which to place the floral arrangements that you provide. If you would like to place pew markers, please discuss this with the Rector.
Reception
If you would like to hold your reception in our Parish Hall following the service, our Ways and Means Committee will discuss those arrangements with you and you will need to reserve the Parish Hall for rental well in advance. The total cost will depend on the number of guests, the type of food that you would like, etc.
Hall Rental
The fees for the rental of our Parish Hall for a Reception are as follows:
- Active Member of the Parish: $75.00
- Non-Member of the Parish: $150.00
- Additional Fee for Use of the Kitchen: $50.00
Wedding License
Please make sure that your Marriage License is purchased early enough for us to have completed our paperwork with you one week prior to your wedding date. You will also need to be sure that all of your forms are correctly filled in. The Rector can help you with this if you should have any questions. These forms will be signed during the wedding ceremony and the Rector will need to mail the completed paperwork to the Province of Nova Scotia immediately following the service. When you pick up your license, please retain the self-addressed brown envelope and give it to the Rector along with your paperwork.
Rehearsal
When you book your wedding date with the Rector, you will also need to book the rehearsal time and date. At the rehearsal we will walk through the service and you should make sure that all of the people who will have parts in the service attend, so that on the day of the wedding everyone knows what they will need to be doing and when.
Photographs and Videos
Please have your photographer attend the wedding rehearsal and/or come at least one hour in advance of the service on the day of your wedding. The Rector will want to speak to your photographer to go over where they can stand, when they can move and when they can take pictures and video during the service.
Bulletins
If you wish to have a typed bulletin for your wedding, you can purchase blank bulletin covers at any Christian bookstore. You may also have a plan for creating your own covers, which is also acceptable in consultation with the Rector. Prior to printing, you need to meet with the Rector to go over the final draft of the contents of the order of service to be sure that it matches the Prayer Book that you will be using for your service.
