Wedding Ceremonies

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and marriage!  Bay United Methodist Church offers a beautiful sanctuary and facilities for weddings.

 

 

The following information will help answer many of the questions you will have about hosting your ceremony at Bay UMC. Should you decide to use Bay UMC for your wedding celebration, this will also help you in planning your ceremony.  After you have read it you will want to do two things:

 

1. Send your $250.00 security deposit to the church.  Make the check payable to “Bay United Methodist Church.”  This deposit guarantees your wedding date and time.

2. Call the church to schedule your appointment with our Special Events Steward and the first of your appointments with the pastor.

 

SETTING THE DATE AND TIME
All weddings at Bay United Methodist Church are scheduled in consultation with the pastor, Rev. Dr. William E. Buckeye.  Please keep in mind that weddings are often scheduled a year or more in advance, so it is to your advantage to choose your date and time early.  INQUIRING ABOUT THE AVAILABILITY OF A DATE DOES NOT SCHEDULE YOUR WEDDING FOR THAT DATE AND TIME – SENDING IN YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT DOES!

 

On rare occasions two couples will want to be married on the same date.  In those instances, the couple who has paid their deposit first can choose their time.  The second couple can then choose either to be married three (3) hours before that time or three (3) hours after.  No exceptions will be made to this time scheduling.

 

GUEST OFFICIATING PASTORS
If you wish to have another ordained pastor assist with your wedding, you may schedule that in consultation with Dr. Buckeye so the appropriate invitation can be extended.  As the host pastor, Dr. Buckeye remains in charge of the service. It is not the policy of Bay Church to offer our church to other clergy without the participation of our pastor.

 

MARRIAGE PLANNING
As marriage is one of life’s most significant decisions, it must not be entered into lightly, but with thoughtfulness and planning.  Therefore, each couple must meet with our Pastor to review all the necessary details of the wedding ceremony.

 

THE WEDDING LITURGY
The service of marriage used in this church is a Christian ceremony.  Therefore the church is the most natural context for this ceremony to take place.  Those wishing to be married in a different context (a park, a beach, a private home) must negotiate this with Dr. Buckeye.

 

MUSIC FOR YOUR CEREMONY
Mr. William Zurkey, the principle organist for Bay United Methodist Church, is expected to be the organist at all weddings.  If Mr. Zurkey is not available, Dr. Buckeye will help you contact an alternate organist.  In consultation with the pastor and the organist, a guest organist may be invited to participate.  Vocal soloists and instrumental music also lend themselves to the beauty of the service.  All music selected must be appropriate for a service of Christian marriage.  Once your wedding is officially scheduled, you will want to contact Mr. Zurkey by email (wzurkey@aol.com) to arrange to meet with him to plan the music for your ceremony.  He is usually available after the Sunday morning worship service.

Should you choose a piece of music that is not in Mr. Zurkey’s music library, you will be expected to buy the sheet music for that piece.

 

FLOWERS AND DECORATIONS
Flowers for the altar are welcome as are other decorations.  However, no glues, pastes, adhesives, or tapes of any kind are permitted on the altar or pews.  Bows, ribbons, flowers and other decorations may be hung using ribbon, strings, or other materials that will not mar the finish of the wood.  In addition, flowers treated with paraffin or wax (for preservation) are not permitted.

 

Any candles that might be used on the ends of the pews must be encased in glass in order to protect guests and pew surfaces.

 

Any damage caused or excessive cleanup required will result in forfeiture of all or part of your security deposit.

 

WEDDING BULLETINS
Many couples choose to add a wedding bulletin to their ceremony.  Appropriate bulletin covers are available from most Christian bookstores.  The staff assistant at Bay Church, Mrs. Carol Sue Beck, is available to type and print your bulletin, for an extra fee.  If choosing this option, you MUST call the church office, 440-871-2082, at least three weeks prior to your wedding to make arrangements with her.

 

AISLE RUNNER
Aisle runners are permitted.  The center aisle is 100 feet in length.

 

RICE, BIRDSEED, CONFETTI
NO rice, birdseed, or confetti is permitted on the church grounds, inside or outside.  Those who use these items will lose their security deposit for the cleanup required.

 

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
You are welcome to have your wedding photographed and videotaped.  Please inform your photographer and videographer that only available light pictures are permitted.  Video cameras must remain stationary in the areas designated by the Special Events Steward.  Following the ceremony any aspect of your service can be re-posed for the purpose of pictures.  It is expected that all photos will be taken and the wedding party will leave within one hour of the end of the ceremony.

 

UNITY CANDLE
Many couples wish to include a unity candle liturgy in their wedding ceremony.  Those wishing to include this aspect of the service must purchase their own unity candle and two taper candles with holders.

 

THE REHEARSAL
The rehearsal shall be scheduled in consultation with Dr. Buckeye.  It is expected that it will be scheduled at a time when all wedding party members can be present.  Additionally, all guest readers, musicians, or other participants in the ceremony should plan to attend the rehearsal.  The rehearsal usually takes one hour to complete.

 

THE MARRIAGE LICENSE
A valid marriage license must be brought to the Special Events Steward the evening of the rehearsal.  No wedding will be performed without the license being in the possession of the Special Events Steward.  The marriage bureau is located at 1 Lakeside Avenue NW, Room 146, Cuyahoga County Courthouse.  Phone 216-443-8920 or 216-443-8922. The Bureau is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

There is no blood test required.  If there has been a divorce, a certified copy of the divorce record is required.  The cost of the license is $40 and must be paid in cash.

 

WEDDING FEES
For those weddings booked after May 18, 2011, we have two fee categories, Members and Non-Members. The fees for your ceremony are as follows:

 

	ALL MEMBERS	NON-MEMBERS
Pastor:           Sanctuary:           Organist - Wedding Only:           Organist - Wedding & Rehearsal:           Wedding Coordinator:           Bulletin Preparation: (Optional)	Gratuity $100 $200 $250 $250 $  50	$500 $500 $300 $350 $250 $100

 

 

CONDUCT
All persons are expected to conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the wedding occasion and the church, both at the rehearsal and the wedding ceremony.  If any member of the wedding party acts in a disruptive manner at any time, he or she will be dismissed from the service and the church grounds.

 

GENERAL REGULATIONS

-- No alcoholic beverages are permitted on church property.

-- Smoking is not permitted within the church building.

-- No food or beverages are to be brought into the church building.

-- ALL WEDDING FEES MUST BE PAID A MINIMUM OF FOURTEEN (14) DAYS PRIOR TO YOUR WEDDING.  IF PAYING BY CHECK, PLEASE MAKE THE CHECK PAYABLE TO “Bay United Methodist Church.”

-- A security deposit of $250 is required for your wedding.  The date is NOT confirmed on the church calendar until this fee is paid.  Following your wedding ceremony, if no damage has occurred and no excessive cleanup is required, this fee shall be returned to you.  Please remember that the use of rice, birdseed, or confetti will result in the loss of part or all of your security deposit.

 

We look forward to making your wedding a meaningful and memorable occasion.  If you have any questions that have not been answered by this brochure, please call Dr. Buckeye at the church (440-871-2082) or email him (revbill_bumc@sbcglobal.net).

 

BIBLE LESSONS FOR YOUR CEREMONY
Couples are encouraged to choose up to two (2) Bible lessons for use in their ceremony.  The following list includes some of the best Bible passages for weddings.  Couples wishing a passage not included on this list should consult with the pastor about the appropriateness of another passage.

 

Genesis 1:26-28, 31a                                       The creation of man and woman
Genesis 2:7-9, 15-24                                        The second creation story
Song of Solomon 2:10-14, 16a; 8:6-7                 Love is strong as death
Proverbs 3:3                                                     Love and faithfulness
Isaiah 43:1-7                                                    You are precious in God’s eyes
Isaiah 55:10-13                                               You shall go out in joy
Matthew 5:1-12                                               The beatitudes
Matthew 7:21, 24-27                                       A house built upon a rock
Matthew 18:19-20                                           Where two or three gather
Matthew 19:3-6                                               The two shall become one
Matthew 22:35-40                                           Love, the greatest commandment
Mark 2:18-22                                                  Joy in Christ as at a wedding
John 2:1-11                                                     A miracle at a wedding
John 15:9-17                                                    Remain in Christ’s love
Romans 12:1-2, 9-18                                       The life of a Christian
I Corinthians 13                                                The greatest of these is love
2 Corinthians 5:14-17                                       In Christ we are a new creation
Ephesians 2:4-10                                              God’s love for us
Ephesians 4:1-6                                                Called to the one hope
Ephesians 4:25-5:2                                           Members one of another
Philippians 2:1-2                                               The Christlike spirit
Philippians 4:4-9                                               Rejoice in the Lord
Colossians 3:12-17                                           Live in love and thanksgiving
I John 3:18-24                                                  Love one another

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