Your Wedding at Old West Church

Guiding You Through the Process

We at Old West Church are happy to help plan and to officiate at weddings of both members of the church and non-members. Weddings at Old West can be conducted by Rev. Sara or pastors from other denominations.  Members of other congregations of the United Methodist Church wishing to be married at Old West Church by their own pastor may contact the Old West Pastor to set up this special arrangement.

The Marital Consultation

All Persons who are to be married at Old West Church  are expected to engage in a minimum of three sessions of pre-marital counseling. The sessions usually last from 45 minutes to an hour and are scheduled at the mutual convenience of both the pastor and the couple. Pre-Martial Counseling costs: $100/ session with a minimum of three sessions. 

The Process

As soon as you have decided on a wedding date, call the church to find out whether that day and time are available. Members can book at any time. Non-members are welcome to pay the deposit at any time but must wait until 6 months before the desired date to confirm. Ask the person answering the telephone to pencil in the date in the church’s calendar. As soon as possible thereafter, speak with the pastor to confirm the pastor’s availability. The date is not official until it has been entered both on the pastor’s calendar and the church’s calendar. Rev. Sara will indicate this by sending you email confirmation of your wedding being booked at Old West Church.

The Ceremony

The wedding ceremony can take anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour, depending on how elaborate you choose it to be. If the couple desires that communion be served, they should keep in mind that in the United Methodist Church all present are invited to the Lord’s Table. Serving communion will add several minutes to the ceremony depending on the number of persons present at the wedding. We welcome special music, prayers or cultural additions to the basic service that make the ceremony more meaningful for the couple. These also add to the length of time the ceremony will take.  All members of the wedding party are expected to be present and sober at the wedding.

Rehearsal

The pastor performing the wedding is responsible for conducting the rehearsal. Once all members of the wedding party have arrived, the rehearsal should take about 25 minutes to an hour. All members of the wedding party are expected to be present and sober at the rehearsal.

Decorations

All florists, decorators , planners, and consultants must work under the direction of the pastor while they are in the church. Any removal or replacement of furnishings must be done only after consulting with Rev. Sara and receiving her express permission.  Should the couple wish to preserve decorations, it is their responsibility to make sure the decorations are removed in a timely fashion.

We do not allow the use of glitter or confetti on the grounds of OWC. 

Photos / Videos

For ceremonies conducted by Rev. Sara, there will be no flash photography is permitted, nor will there be pauses for photographs during the ceremony. Photographs may be taken before and after the ceremony. During the ceremony, photographers and videographers may select a position in the sanctuary to set up their equipment, as long as it does not interfere with the line of sight of the guests or with the ceremony. Outside pastors conducting the service may have their own rules and expectations. 

Fees

The fees for weddings at Old West Church are given below. The fee for Counseling Sessions applies to couples who are not members of the church. Since weddings are a part of the normal duties of the pastor, there is no Counseling Sessions fee for members of the church. However, couples who are members of the congregation may wish to make a donation to the church for the Counseling Sessions.

All checks must be made out to Old West Church, and we ask that all fees be paid seven days prior to the ceremony. We also ask that an initial deposit for the ceremony of $750 be delivered upon completion on the contract) .

  • Wedding Fee: $3,000 (due in full 7 days before wedding).

    • $750 Deposit to go towards wedding fee due at time of contract submission

    • Included in this cost is sanctuary fees for a three and a half hours, two hours before the service, a 30 minute service and an hour after the service, and two hour rehearsal the afternoon or evening before the wedding service.

      • Any additional time is $500/ hour

    • The fee does not include any administrative, printing, or musician needs. If you wish for printing and copying to be done at the church, there are additional charges. Additionally, if you wish for us to provide music, the charges vary on the type of musician (i.e. organist, soloist, pianist, etc.)

    • If you do not have a wedding coordinator, there is an additional fee of $300 for an on the ground, day-of person that Old West Church will provide.