| Weddings
at Royster
The Royster Memorial Presbyterian Church
shares in your excitement and happiness as you prepare for marriage.
We join with you in hoping that your wedding service will be an
inspiring opportunity to honor God and to celebrate the love you
have for each other. We also join with you in your hope for a
married life together that is harmonious, fulfilling, and joyful.
As bride and groom, you are beginning one of
the most exciting adventures in your life. We at Royster Memorial
Presbyterian Church want to help make this a memorable occasion for
you, your families and your guests. The suggestions in this manual,
and those you receive in conference with the minister and organist,
will help your special day run smoothly.
The order of service we use stresses the
Christian meaning of marriage as well as the beauty and dignity of
this act of worship. Therefore, you will want to have a clear
understanding of the customs and courtesies which should be observed
to maintain a spiritual atmosphere. These include the ceremony, the
music and the decorations.
SETTING THE DATE
It is important to clear the date and time of
your wedding on the church calendar as soon as possible. Please do
this by contacting the minister and/or church office and completing
a marriage request application. Weddings scheduled for the same day
will not be scheduled closer than four hours apart. All weddings
require advance scheduling preferably 3 months in advance, although
requests for shorter notice will be considered.
WHO OFFICIATES
A minister of Royster Memorial Presbyterian
Church will ordinarily officiate at the wedding service and will
assist you with your wedding arrangements. He will also lead the
rehearsal which generally is held the evening prior to the ceremony.
If the couple requests that another minister
officiate or co-officiate at their wedding, the minister of Royster
Memorial should be notified as soon as possible so that a cordial
invitation may be extended to the guest minister, and the plans
coordinated.
PREMARITAL COUNSELING
All couples seeking to be married in Royster
Church must participate in one or more pre-marital counseling
sessions with the Pastor and/or an appropriate outside counseling
service. The purpose of these sessions is to discuss the nature of
the Covenant of Marriage, its privilege, and responsibilities, and
also to discuss the wedding ceremony. This counseling must be
completed no later than one month prior to the scheduled wedding.
The Pastor reserves the right after reviewing the results of such
counseling to void the preliminary commitment to have the wedding at
Royster Church if he feels that the couple is not ready for a
Christian marriage. If an outside clergy is to perform the wedding,
he is expected to report to the Pastor that the required pre-marital
counseling has been given prior to the wedding.
WEDDING LICENSE
A wedding license must be brought to the
wedding rehearsal. You can apply for your license at the Circuit
Court, Norfolk, VA. There is no waiting period required and the
license expires 60 days later.
THE REHEARSAL
The rehearsal for the wedding service is
ordinarily held on the evening before the wedding day at the
location where the wedding will be held. The purpose of the
rehearsal is to assure that the wedding will be dignified and
meaningful, and that all participants will be fully acquainted with
their duties. The time of the rehearsal should be set so that all
participants can be present.
DRESSING ROOMS
Dressing Rooms are available for the wedding
party. It is expected that all personal items will be removed after
the ceremony. The sexton is not responsible for personal items left
by the bridal party.
THE SANCTUARY
The sanctuary has a seating capacity of 600.
There is a center aisle with two side aisles. There are 48 pews on
the ground floor and 10 in the balcony.
DECORATING THE SANCTUARY
A single arrangement of flowers in the rear of
the chancel is preferred. Candelabra may be used on either side of
the flowers on the table or extra (footed) candelabra may be used in
front of the Chancel if desired. It is required that the florist
use only high quality, drip-less candles. Flowers in the front
entrance are acceptable. Because of previous adverse experiences,
the scattering of fresh flower or artificial petals down the center
aisle is not permitted. A silk flower arrangement owned by the
Church is available for use, free of charge.
- No
furniture may be moved in the chancel area. This is due to the
fact that a wedding is a worship service and the pulpit,
communion table and baptismal font are the three main symbols of
Presbyterian worship.
-
Nothing may be fastened to the walls, woodwork, or furnishings
in the sanctuary or the fellowship hall.
-
Royster Memorial does not permit aisle tracking. A
kneeling bench or candelabras are available for those who choose
to use them.
- If
candles are used, drip-less candles or candles with inserts are
required, and protective material will be placed under the
candelabra to protect the carpet.
-
Rose pedals, rice, confetti, birdseed and other materials are
not allowed inside the church building. Birdseed may be
distributed outside the building.
-
Arrangements for the florist to decorate the sanctuary must be
made in advance. The building will be opened two hours prior to
the hour of the wedding unless special arrangements have been
made. All decorations must be removed as soon as the wedding
party and guests have left the church building.
MUSIC DURING THE SERVICE
In the Christian church, marriage and the
wedding service should be to the glory of God who sanctifies
marriage. In this experience of worship and witness, care should be
given to the selection of all instrumental and vocal music so that
it be in keeping with the above. Our Book of Order says: “Such
music as accompanies the ceremony should direct attention to God…and
special care should be taken to assure that it is suitable and
reverent”. Royster has professional vocalists available for your
wedding or the Royster Director of Music or Organist can provide a
list of musicians who provide music for weddings.
Music Selection - The Royster Pastor, Director
of Music, or Organist must approve in advance all music selections
to be used during the wedding service. One of the above will be
available (at a mutually agreeable time) for consultation in
selecting appropriate music for the service.
Organist – The Royster Organist/Pianist is
available to provide music for your wedding. You should contact the
organist to arrange a time to discuss music for the ceremony. The
organist is available to rehearse with soloists at a mutually
convenient time. A qualified guest organist may be invited to play,
however the Royster Organist must approve the alternate (the guest
organist must have experience on a pipe organ).
WEDDING BULLETIN
The Wedding Bulletin is the responsibility of
the couple.
WEDDING CHURCH REPRESENTATIVE
Royster’s Wedding Church Representative is the
initial point of contact.. When the officiating pastor is not the
pastor of Royster Memorial, Royster’s Wedding Church Representative
must be present at the rehearsal and the wedding. Rehearsal is
under the supervision of the officiating Pastor.
WEDDING COORDINATOR
Each wedding needs a Wedding Coordinator to
help with the organization of the rehearsal and wedding to ensure
that the wedding proceeds smoothly and with elegance. It is
essential that the wedding party have an advisor in the Narthex to
direct the wedding party down the aisle in an orderly fashion. The
party may choose a family member, friend or outside Wedding
Coordinator. The Wedding Church Representative must also meet with
the Wedding Coordinator.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The wedding ceremony is a service of worship.
NO FLASH PICTURES ARE ALLOWED DURING THE WEDDING SERVICE.
The photographer is required to remain inconspicuous until the end
of the service. Videotaping will be permitted from the Narthex, the
side of the Chancel, or from the balcony without the use of flash or
external lighting. The Pastor should be informed in advance of the
desire to videotape the ceremony, so that proper arrangements can be
made. There are no restrictions on photography preceding or
following the ceremony, or in the Fellowship Hall.
THE REHEARSAL DINNER AND/OR THE RECEPTION
If the wedding party wishes to have their
rehearsal dinner and/or the reception at Royster, the request needs
to be indicated on the marriage request application. It is advised
that they confer with the minister and/or church office to help make
arrangements. Dinner and receptions may be held in the fellowship
hall. Catering and clean-up of all food and beverages will be
the responsibility of the wedding party. All food and beverages are
to be restricted to the kitchen and fellowship hall. Royster
has a policy that there be no alcoholic beverages on
the property and no smoking in the building.
FEES
Fees are listed on the insert provided with
this brochure. A $100 deposit is required when you arrange for your
wedding. The deposit fee will be applied toward future fees. The
remainder of all fees are due three weeks prior to the wedding.
Separate payment of fees to the Minister, Organist and Sexton are
due at that time also.
PARKING
The church parking
lot is located at the corner of Brackenridge and Newport Avenue.
Royster Church is located in a residential area, therefore, we share
the side streets (Sinclair and Brackenridge) with local residents.
In the past, visitors have parked in locations such that they
blocked the access of local neighbors. Therefore, it is requested
that wedding parties and their guests use the available space along
Newport Avenue or park in the large grassy lot north of the church.
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