Getting Married at Holy Cross
CONGRATULATIONS! You are engaged! I am sure your mind is swimming with questions and plans for your next steps in getting married. This is a quick guide to the support and care Holy Cross would love to provide for your marriage and wedding day including the first steps in securing a date and Pastor for your important day.
We are pleased to offer this care and support to those in our faith community or those that desire to be part of our faith community. I am looking forward to helping you make this a stress-free process.
Shawn Smith
Wedding Coordinator
[email protected] or 616.457.2420
Setting the Date and Time of your Wedding
(The Officiating Pastor must approve any and all exceptions.)
- Contact Holy Cross at least 6 months prior to the proposed wedding date, before any other decisions are finalized.
- Call Shawn Smith, Wedding Coordinator, to see if your tentative date is available and receive the Christian Wedding Application.
- Complete the Christian Wedding Application and return to Shawn Smith. Wait for official approval.
- Within 2 weeks of receiving the Application, Shawn will communicate the approval of your requested date(s).
- The Christian Wedding Guide will be given to you to assist you in your detailed planning.
Weddings at Holy Cross are not scheduled on Sundays, during Holy Week (week before Easter), Thanksgiving Eve, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day or Holiday Weekends (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day).
Friday weddings will be approved on an individual basis.
Saturday weddings will start no later than 5 pm.
Pre-Marital Sessions
You and your fiancé are required to participate in a Pre-Marriage Experience with the Officiating Pastor. This experience is designed to enhance your marriage relationship and plan your wedding day. At Holy Cross we are committed to helping you prepare for your wedding day and a lifetime of Christian Marriage in a
Christ-centered home. Each aspect is designed to strengthen your relationship and set the stage for a healthy and dynamic life-long marriage.
Your pre-marriage experience will set you up for success as you prepare for the challenges and blessings that come with living together as husband and wife in Christian Marriage in a Christ-centered home.
Officiating Pastor
The Officiating Pastor for all wedding services held at Holy Cross will be a Pastor from Holy Cross.
Please Note: If you would like another clergyman to participate in your wedding, this invitation should only be extended by the Officiating Pastor from Holy Cross. To avoid embarrassment, discuss your request with the Holy Cross Officiating Pastor before consulting with any visiting clergy. Church fellowship policies limit the ways in which clergymen of other denominations can take part, so this must be carefully planned in the initial meeting with your Officiating Pastor.
Ceremony Assistant
A Ceremony Assistant will be assigned to you upon the approval of your wedding date. She is experienced in hospitality and will do her best to help your wedding run smoothly and as worry-free as possible. The Ceremony Assistant serves as a liaison with the Wedding Coordinator, the Officiating Pastor, the church and the couple.
Fees
All fees are due at the rehearsal. You will receive a reminder one week prior to the wedding date indicating the amounts and to whom the checks are to be made payable.
Sanctuary & building use Complimentary
Officiating Pastor | Onsite Honorarium (suggested $150 – $300)
Officiating Pastor | Offsite $400
Ceremony Assistant $200 (Includes Pre-Wedding Sessions, rehearsal, and up to 6 hours on Wedding Day. Additional hours will be charged at $25/hour.)
Organist/Pianist $150
Soloist $75
Solo accompanist $50
Sound Technician $75
Custodian $75
Preparing for a Christian Marriage
As your Pastor and your faith community we want to support and encourage you in your quest to be husband and wife—in a healthy and dynamic life-long relationship. We are excited that you are turning to your church during this formative time in your relationship as an engaged couple. This is the ideal time to partner with one of our Pastors who will serve as a guide and encourager as you prepare for this new and challenging chapter in life.
Your pre-marriage guide has lots of experience walking along side of couples who are navigating the sometimes turbulent waters that arise in wedding planning and getting ready to start a Christian Marriage and home life together in your new roles as husband and wife.
Your pre-marriage experience with your Pastor will be based on God’s design for Christian Marriage as found in the Bible. Why? Because it really works in everyday real life. This pre-marriage experience has the potential to set you up for success as a couple as you work for the healthy and dynamic marriage of your dreams.
Our Pre-Marriage Experience includes
- “Discovering God’s Design for Marriage”, an interactive study with your Pastor guide that leads to practical insights strong enough to build a lasting marriage as you prepare for your new role as husband and wife and your daily life together as Jesus Followers.
- “The 5-minute Miracle”, your Pastor guide will share a 5-minute habit to daily care for each other and feed your faith as a Jesus Follower—user friendly and easily practiced at home.
- “Designing a Christ-Centered Wedding Ceremony”, with the help of your Pastor guide you will personally select the bible readings that everyone will hear on your wedding day. You will also get to select music that reflects a Jesus-focused worship service.
For some, this experience may feel like something you have been looking for and hoping for–taking practical and faith-filled next steps together, preparing to start your Christian home and marriage with the help of a Pastor guide. For others it may be a new idea—worth checking out.
We hope it feels like an experience that will set you up for success as you prepare for the challenges and blessings that come with living together as husband and wife in Christian Marriage.
As your Pastor and faith community, we congratulate you on your engagement and look forward to partnering with you at this exciting time in your life!!