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We at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church are delighted that you are considering having your wedding service at our church. We ask that you carefully read our policy with its expectations for those wanting to be married at St. Paul’s. Our prayer is that your wedding day will be celebrative, rich in meaning, and a wonderful beginning as you begin your marriage. 1. It is understood that all weddings at St. Paul’s are Christian Marriage Services and that by requesting a wedding at St. Paul’s you are intentionally inviting God to be part of not just your wedding service, but also a part of your marriage as well. Therefore, we assume that at least one member of the couple (ideally both) is currently involved and active with a church where they are currently living. If you live locally, we would invite and encourage you to join us for worship on Sundays at 10:30 am. 2. According to our Presbyterian and Reformed tradition, we believe that marriage “must not be entered into carelessly, or from selfish motives, but responsibly and prayerfully.” Therefore, we require that all couples being married at St. Paul’s will attend a Marriage Preparation course. We believe this initial investment of your time and money will be invaluable in your marriage. We have found that couples who have attended such courses have not regretted it. If you reside locally, we highly recommend the Marriage Preparation Program offered by Calgary Counselling Centre, www.calgarycounselling.com, 403-265-4980, Place 9–6 Building, Suite 200, 940 – 6th Avenue, SW, Calgary, AB, T2P 3T1. This course goes from Friday: 6-9 pm through Saturday 9am - 5pm. The charge for admission to the workshop is a flat rate of $200.00 per couple, payable by cheque, credit card, or debit when the couple pre-registers. To register please contact the Centre by telephone or by email: marriage@calgarycounselling.com. If you live outside of the Bow Valley, we ask that you attend a marriage preparation course comparable to the one offered by the Calgary Counselling Centre. If you choose this option, then please check with our minister as to which course you would like to attend. Please note that because of this requirement, we will not perform weddings on short notice. 3. The Minister of St. Paul’s will normally be the officiating clergy as he is responsible for any worship within our sanctuary. Other clergy, who hold a current Alberta License to Marry, may participate in the wedding upon consultation with and approval by both our minister and the church governing board. For the wedding to take place, the minister must have in his possession, prior to the day of the wedding, your marriage license, and registration (a single form). You can obtain these documents before your wedding at an of Office of Alberta Vital Statistics http://vitalcertificates.ca/alberta-vital-certificates.html or locally at the Alberta Vital Statistics Office http://banffbureau.com/bureau/marriage.htm. The current fee is $125.00. 4. Fees for use of our church will be received by the minister at least a week in advance of your wedding date. Rental of the church sanctuary (including one hour for rehearsal and one hour for the wedding) is $425.00. The caretaker fee is $ 75.00. The minister’s fee is $250. 5. The arrangement of music and accompaniment for your wedding is your responsibility. Both our piano and organ are available for accompanists. Our pianist also offers her services for $150 for the rehearsal and wedding service. Check with our minister for how to contact her. All musical selections will be approved by the minister. 6. In order to maintain a spirit of worship, we allow flash photography as the bride enters the sanctuary and when the couple leaves sanctuary as these pictures cannot be restaged. All other photographs can be restaged at the end of the service. Videotaping is allowed only from a location in the sanctuary that does not interfere with the wedding service. Please make sure that both photographer and videographer are informed and agree to these terms prior to the wedding. 7. The church sanctuary comfortably seats about 120 people. 8. Decorations and flowers are welcome in the church. We do not provide any flower or candle stands. Pew bows are allowed, but use of any adhesive that may be potentially damaging to the finish on the pews, is strongly discouraged. The communion table is normally reserved for the signing of the register, but flowers and other Christian wedding symbols are allowed. We ask that you take care in removing any items such as flowers, pew bows, candle stands, etc. from the sanctuary following your wedding service. 9. We kindly request that you to inform your guests that confetti, rice, birdseed, or any other commonly thrown substances at weddings are not permitted on church property or the sidewalk in front of the church. If after reading this policy, you are able to happily comply with it and would like to talk further about having your wedding with us, then please contact our minister, the Rev. Clay Kuhn in one of the following ways: Church Phone: 403-762-3279 Church Fax: 403-760-3818 Church Address: Box 1264, Banff, Alberta, T1L 1B3. Church Email: stpaulsbanff@telus.net Thank you for considering St. Paul’s as a potential place for you wedding. We wish you God’s richest blessings as you make your marriage preparations. From the Minister and Governing Board of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church
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