This is a thread that was started in our old BlissWeddings.com forums by BrideAge45 on 5/17/04. Feel free to add your comments by pressing Post Reply.
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posted by BrideAge45
Exactly how is that handled. How much for a small ceremony at the church, when do you pay him, etc.
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posted by catina
It varies. My daughter's ceremony fee is a total of $350.00 which includes, the use of the church, the organist, the minsiter and a ceremony co-ordinator. They fee covers both the rehearsal day and the wedding day.
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posted by teddy6
We are paying $400 for use of the church and $100 to the minister -he is not offiliated(sp?) with the church; the church is owned by the state historical society. We also are paying $75 for the organist.
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posted by teddy6
Oops, you also asked when to pay him? I believe we will pay him at the rehearsal/rehearsal dinner but I don't really know if that is the standard time to do this or not...
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posted by Marge129
Man your churches are EXPENSIVE! We only had to pay $30 for the use of my church. We paid our preacher $100 at the rehearsal dinner.
Margie
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posted by catina
We pay at the rehearsal as well. Sorry, forgot that part!
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posted by 6amandaf6
We paid $150 for the church and $170 for the celebrant. We paid the deposits when we booked, then the remainder of the celebrant's fee at the rehearsal and the chapel's fee a week after the wedding(well, Mum did since we were away).
I would say when you book your minister and church, they would explain when and how much, but don't be afraid to ask. Normally paying at the rehearsal or a week before/after the wedding is normal for most things to do with a wedding.
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posted by Brandy Bo
I wanted to laugh so hard when you said the churches were expensive
Imagine this - $1500 for having a church ceremony!!!! That's right-$1500. I moved here not too long ago and haven't joined a church here yet - just float around to several. Chris is a member of a church - and it is laid out VERY poorly! A man must have designed it, definitely not a woman, who knows the importance of a center aisle! haha I checked around at every church in town and they were all at least $1000, up to $2000. This includes use of the sanctuary, wedding director, janitor, pastor, and organist. That's it! I about croaked. Even if we were members in those churches or had sponsors, we'd still pay at least $800 to $1200. So, needless to say, we are having it in Chris's church with its horribly laid out floor plan and paying $300. The last time I checked, Jesus ran the moneymakers out of the church and said it was no place to conduct business! It's sad that people can't afford to have a church wedding. Guess we should all just live in sin for the rest of our lives!! And in case you are wondering, no I do not live in New York. I'm in North Carolina
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posted by maxine
wow expensive? I paid $750 and had to find my own officiant, however the organist and rehersal is included.
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posted by wynelle
An unfortunate fact of life is that 65% of the population is considered "unchurched," meaning they are not associated with a specific church. A lot of churches have one fee if you are a member, and a higher fee if you aren't. A lot of time and money goes into maintaining a sanctuary, and the grounds, and not everyone is as respectful of time and place as others. We have horror stories of guests smoking and leaving butts on the front steps; of wedding party members spilling drinks in the dressing areas and not cleaning up the mess. Also, diferent congregations have different rules regarding the type of music, birdseed vs rice, dress requirements. At our church, only specific designated organists are allowed to play the huge pipe organ. This is not a case of chasing the money-lenders out of the church (or temple or mosque or synagoge!) as much as it is being responsible for maintenance, heating, electricity, cleaning, etc.
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posted by Delaners
Our church has a flat fee of $75 for use of it and preist for ceremony. We will probably donate extra. It is due on or before the ceremony. I was surprised, I am thankful we live in a relatively small city that it isn't a few hundred or so!
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posted by syringa
As a wedding coordinator, I see the range of prices for churches. Those that feel that they exist to minister to the community charge $200 to $250, which covers the janitor service. There is an additional fee for the sound person, organist, and minister.
Those that are the "fancier" churches that everyone wants to get married in may do as many as 4 weddings every Saturday. The cost ranges from $800 to $1,275 for 4 hours use, no receptions. There is an additional fee for the minister, organist, and sound person. You can see that if location is important to a couple, they will pay dearly for it and many do.
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posted by amymarie
I am getting married outside, which is free. I am gonna ask my preacher if he will be our officiant. We will probably pay him $100. There are no rules stating you have to get married in a church. I go to church, but neither my FH or I want to get married in a church. I don't think I will go to hell for it either. Plus weddings are really expensive in themselves. If I can save money by having my wedding outside, then so be it. Good luck to everyone.
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posted by luv2wedd
Getting married outside is not always cheaper than getting married indoors. Chair rental needs to be considered along with a sound system if you have more than 50 guests (in my opinion).
You need to have a PLAN B worked out as well in case of rain.
Good luck in your planning.
CK Burke
Wedding Liaison
Wedding Ceremony Services
St. Louis, MO
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posted by feb-bride
If your ceremony is really short (20 minutes or less), you may not even need chairs for all of your guests.
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posted by luv2wedd
It's true, you may not need chairs for a short ceremony, but you have to think of the elderly that cannot stand for long periods. Also, not everyone can see the ceremony if everyone is standing.
Chairs keep the ceremony formal. Again, this is only if there are more than 50 guests.
I've assisted outdoor weddings where everyone stood, but they were small in size.
CK Burke
Wedding Liaison
Wedding Ceremony Services
St. Louis, MO
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posted by HeatherR
Feb- my wedding was exactly 9 minutes long, lol. Just the way we wanted it. Everyone actually stood up for the whole thing b/c the Officiant forgot to tell them to sit back down after I came down the aisle. Luckily we didn't have to pay extra for chairs, lol.
Heather
Paying the minister
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