Congratulations on your engagement! Some Notes about Weddings at First Church:
Non-member weddings are permitted at First Church, but the calendar is reserved for members until one year out from the date. Non-member couples are encouraged to attend worship prior to the wedding so they are familiar with the sanctuary and clergy. Non-member couples are required to register for and attend a Marriage P.R.E.P. session, offered by Samaritan Counseling. These one-day workshops are offered four or five times a year.
Guest ministers may participate in weddings at FUMC at the invitation of our clergy. Our clergy participate in all weddings at First Church.
Multiple weddings can be scheduled on a given day. We require that there be at least three hours between start times.
Feel free to check our Calendar if you have a particular date in mind. (Some internal events are not seen on this calendar. Various church celebrations and UM Home football games prevent us from making our spaces available for weddings.)
Contact Adele Roy (734-662-4536) when you are ready to request a date and time.
No photocopies of copyrighted music may be used in your wedding, as it is illegal to reproduce it. Rehearsals with soloists are billed separately on an hourly basis. Soloists’ music must be presented in the correct key. The necessity for a sound technician will be determined by the staff of First Church. If one is required, there will be an additional fee over and above the regular wedding fee.
If you plan a receiving line at the church, please note that with 75 or more guests, the average greeting time is thirty minutes to an hour. That time, plus final pictures at the altar, should be figured in to your departure time.
Please designate someone to be responsible for all of the wedding party’s personal belongings. The church is not responsible for any items left unattended before, during, or after the rehearsal or the wedding.
No alcoholic beverages or smoking is allowed in the church or on the grounds at any time. No hand-held candles are permitted. No rice, birdseed, flower petals, confetti, etc. may be thrown or strewn at any time, either in the building or on the church grounds. Bubbles are acceptable outside.
No flash photography may be taken during wedding ceremonies. The photographer(s) must remain behind the guests at all times.
Notes about Weddings in our Downtown Sanctuary
Our downtown Sanctuary is located right in the heart of Ann Arbor. The sanctuary seats 650 guests.
Pew candles and candelabras are available at an extra fee. There are ten pew candle sconces that line both sides of the center aisle, with candles and hurricane glasses. Flowers may be placed on the altar. Bows may be fastened to pews using elastic or ribbon. No tape, please. Bows and floral arrangements may be attached to candelabra and pew candle holders with soft wire tape or ribbon.
Our downtown sanctuary is not air-conditioned.
The church has no aisle cloth. Your florist can help you get one if you so desire. The aisle cloth should be 100 feet long.
For pictures taken prior to the wedding, the photographer should not be at the church more than 2 hours before the wedding time. Pre-ceremony pictures must be finished ½ hour before the wedding. If you want the pastor included in post-ceremony photographs, please arrange this with him/her well ahead of time. Use of video equipment must be discussed with and approved by your wedding coordinator. Guidelines will be discussed at that time.
Promenade parking spaces are available for the bridal party departure vehicles ONLY. The parking lot at the back of the church has limited capacity. It should be used for the wedding party, immediate family, and handicapped guests only. (Elevator access is provided off this parking lot, at the church’s west entrance.) The closest parking structure is Liberty Square, just across Washington Street from the church lot. Space is available evenings and weekends. The fee is $2.00, which is paid through a machine; the machine accepts quarters, $1, $5, and $10 bills. Parking there on Sundays is free.
Weddings downtown are not scheduled on University of Michigan home football game weekends as parking and traffic in downtown Ann Arbor are prohibitive on those days.
Notes about Weddings at Green Wood
Our Green Wood Sanctuary is located on the East side of town. It is a smaller contemporary space situated in a residential neighborhood. Weddings at Green Wood shall not be attended by more than 100 people.
The Sanctuary is in use for regular Saturday evening services beginning at 3:30 p.m. Wedding times and schedules must honor this time restriction.
The Green Wood Sanctuary is not air-conditioned.
Equipment that can be moved includes overhead projector, music stands, microphone stands. Equipment that must not be moved includes the keyboard, drum set, sound equipment, and items in the entryway. Nothing should be taped or tacked to the walls. The wedding coordinator can give guidance in decorating. White candles and altar cloth must be provided by the couple. Vases for flowers and other decorative items must be provided. Flowers may be placed on the altar.
Couples marrying at Green Wood are responsible for providing music. Use of the building does not guarantee availability of the Green Wood keyboardist. The keyboard is available for use. The sound system can be used through special arrangement with the Church. Contact the Administrative Assistant or the Wedding Coordinator for additional information.
Green Wood may be used by member couples for a reception following the wedding. This is requested, approved, scheduled, and priced separately from the wedding itself and must be booked through the Administrative Assistant.
