Message from the Ministerial Staff
Congratulations…
We desire to join you in making your wedding as beautiful as you want it to be–a time that you will treasure in your memory. To this end, we are happy to offer you our services and church facilities in accordance with the policies and regulations approved by the Session.
Before a wedding date is approved, it should be tentatively placed on the church calendar. A completed “Request for Wedding” form must be returned to the church office, and an appointment made to meet with one of the ministers before the request can be approved.
No wedding, rehearsal, or reception may interfere with worship services or regularly scheduled events in the church. No wedding or rehearsal will be scheduled for Sundays before 3 p.m. or the Saturdays before Palm Sunday or Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day or the period from Thanksgiving Day through the second weekend of January. In consideration of all involved, we will not schedule two weddings using the same facilities on the same day. The latest time a wedding can be scheduled on Saturdays is 7:00 p.m. The earliest time for a Sunday wedding is 3 p.m. Weddings on other days may be scheduled as permitted by church schedule with the approval of our pastor.
If it is your desire to use a minister from a church other than Granada Presbyterian, approval must be obtained from the minister of Granada Church. The request must be made in writing to the minister accompanying your “Request for Wedding” form.
Even the simplest weddings require forethought and preparation. After you have decided on a definite date and have received approval for holding the wedding ceremony at Granada it is important that you be in contact with the minister, the organist, and the wedding coordinator.
It is our prayer that the information we offer in this web site will guide and help you as you approach this joyful occasion in your life.
PREMARITAL COUNSELING is considered by our church to be an important part of any marriage. Therefore, it is important that you make arrangements with the minister who will be conducting the ceremony to ascertain his requirements for counseling sessions.
THE WEDDING COORDINATOR serves as a liaison between the church and the bride. The coordinator will be happy to answer questions concerning the policies and facilities of the church and show any of the equipment available for decoration of the church for the ceremony. In addition, the coordinator attends both the rehearsal and the wedding and directs the wedding if there is no personal bridal consultant.
FACILITIES
Rooms available for use by the bride and groom are as follows:
- The Sanctuary — accommodates up to 970 people.
- Fellowship Hall — accommodates up to 400 people for receptions and 200 if seated at tables.
- Bride’s Room — accommodates the bride and her attendants with an adjoining restroom.
- Family Room — accommodates the groom and his attendants with a restroom downstairs in the Choir Room.
DECORATIONS
The Sanctuary is, by design, a place of beauty and dignity. Therefore, it is the desire of the Session that simple decorations be used in order to maintain a worshipful atmosphere. Please observe the following guidelines:
FLORIST
The florist, or the one in charge of decorations, must notify the Church Office or wedding coordinator in advance of the desired time to decorate, so that arrangements may be made for the Sanctuary (and Fellowship Hall) to be open. Chase (drip less) candles must be used and will be provided by the church at a charge of $1.00 per candle. Candelabra and other decorative items are available for your use and will be shown to you by the wedding coordinator. No pews or furniture (other than the Communion table) may be moved. Nails, screws, tacks, wires, rice, confetti, or similar materials may not be used inside or outside the church buildings.
All pew standards must be secured to the pews with ribbon.
Flower girls may drop silk petals only.
If the wedding is on a Saturday, please be sure that arrangements are made to take away any extra decorations used. Please remember that there will be preparation necessary for our Sunday morning schedule; we ask your cooperation in this matter. If you desire that the flowers remain in the Sanctuary for the Sunday services, and that the flowers be dedicated in the church bulletin, arrangements should be made with the Church Flower Calendar Chairperson well in advance. You may also advise the Wedding Coordinator who will relay the information to the Calendar Chairperson.
The florist should be notified if pictures are to be taken before the wedding, so that the church can be decorated in plenty of time.
PHOTOGRAPHS
You are responsible for giving a copy of the following instructions and policies to the photographer prior to the wedding date. We ask that no flash photographs be taken in the Sanctuary during the processional or the wedding ceremony itself. Pictures may be taken in the Narthex as the wedding party leaves the Sanctuary and before and after the ceremony. Photos without flash may be taken from the balcony. Photographers are not permitted in the aisle during the processional or recessional.
Video equipment may be used from the balcony or the doorway to the choir loft, but ONLY if no additional lights are used and the videographer cannot be seen by the guests.
MUSIC AND SOUND SYSTEM
Because a church wedding is an occasion of worship, music selected for the wedding should be of a sacred and reverent nature. In accordance with the custom at Granada, the organist of the church plays for all weddings in the Sanctuary. The sound systems in the Sanctuary and the Fellowship Hall are to be operated by approved Granada personnel only. The fees for the use of these facilities include the operation of the sound system during the ceremony. You will be given a wedding planner on which to list music to be submitted for approval.
REHEARSALS
For weddings that include music and a bridal procession, a rehearsal is required, preferably the Wednesday evening before the wedding at 7:30 pm. All persons participating in the wedding ceremony should plan to attend the rehearsal and arrive on time. The rehearsal should not take no more than an hour. We would urge the members of the entire wedding party to remember that throughout the rehearsal and wedding they are in a place dedicated to the worship of God.
RECEPTION
For any reception in the Fellowship Hall or any other room of the church, the approved caterer must contact the Church Office at least two weeks in advance and meet with the church administrator or wedding coordinator concerning:
- Certificate of insurance & signed release of liability;
- The time Fellowship Hall is to be opened for food preparation;
- Any tables or other church equipment to be used;
- The time of arrival of food, storage of food, etc.
The caterer must supply linens, plates, cups, silverware, serving pieces, and table candelabra. Coffee urns and punch bowls are available for use.
Additional custodial service is required for all wedding receptions to assure proper use of equipment and the subsequent cleaning of the kitchen. A fee will be charged for this according to the enclosed fee schedule.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND AIR CONDITIONING
The lighting and power systems are to be operated by approved personnel only. The church is air-conditioned a reasonable length of time before the wedding and rehearsal, as is the Fellowship Hall for the reception.
MISCELLANEOUS POLICIES
- No alcoholic beverages are to be served or consumed on the church premises at any time. It is expected that members of the wedding party will refrain from the use of alcoholic beverages before, during, and after the rehearsal, wedding ceremony, and reception, as long as they are anywhere on the church property.
- Smoking is not permitted in any of the church buildings at any time.
- Late Fee: A late fee of $100 per hour will be charged for an unnecessary delay of the rehearsal or the wedding ceremony. After thirty (30) minutes unnecessary delay, the fee will go into effect, and a portion of an hour thereafter will be charged as a full hour.
- Extended Service Fee: If the use of the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, or Church Parlor for the wedding should exceed three hours, an Extended Service Fee of $100 per hour will be charged for the additional hours.
STANDARD FEES
All church fees due are to be paid to Granada’s financial secretary in the Church Office 30 days prior to wedding date.
CHURCH HOURS
Monday through Friday – Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Telephone: (305) 444-8435 Fax: (305) 442-8189
A FINAL NOTE
Your wedding should be one of the happiest and most sacred moments of your life. We pray for God’s richest blessings upon your union and that Jesus Christ will be honored and exalted in your home. We trust that mutual agreement upon these procedures and policies will help make this joyous occasion beautiful, worshipful, and memorable.
