Wedding Policy

Congrats on your engagement and upcoming wedding! Thank you for thinking of First Baptist Church to help make your wedding day special.

The Importance of Marriage

Your wedding is the Christian celebration of love and commitment to each other and to God. At First Baptist Church we want to minister to you throughout this important time. The sacred ceremony, in which you enter into a covenant with God and one another, creates the foundation for your marriage. By choosing to use a representative of God, and God’s Church, you are inviting God’s presence into your wedding and purposely asking for God’s blessing upon the marriage. We believe that marriage is a union between one man and one woman:
Genesis 2:24, Leviticus 18:22, Mark 10: 6-9, Hebrews 13:4, II Corinthians 6:14. 


We further expect that the officiant will be a man of God, licensed in the Gospel ministry, and recognized by the state of Nebraska. It is your responsibility to review the following Wedding Guidelines and Policies. We ask that you discuss them with all members of your wedding party, as well as your florist, photographer, and caterer so there will be no misunderstandings or deviation from them. Thank You!

Scheduling Your Wedding

We are happy to assist you with your wedding plans and look forward to meeting with you to reserve the wedding date, facilities needed, and answer any questions you may have. Tentative reservations may be made by phone, and “confirmed” reservations must be completed within thirty days following. It is your responsibility to contact the church to confirm. The basic cost package to use First Baptist facilities is $1000. That includes an auditorium for rehearsal and ceremony, as well as a fellowship hall for rehearsal dinner and dressing rooms. 

The following criteria must be met in order to receive confirmed reservations

  • Officiating Pastor contacted, secured, and approved 
  • Scheduling of 2 pre-marital classes with officiating pastor 
  • A payment deposit of $200 to FBC is required to confirm your date. (remaining balance must be paid no later than seven days before wedding date) 
  • Deposit is refundable if cancelled 7 days before the event.  
  • Wedding form completed and returned to the church office  

Once your wedding date is confirmed, your rehearsal will be scheduled for an agreed-upon time on the day before your wedding. Guest Pastors from other Baptist or doctrinally like-minded churches may, with the approval of our Senior Pastor, perform the wedding ceremony. In order to keep uniformity, we require that all scripture be KJV and the gospel message to line up with what is found in the scriptures.

Facilities

Weddings and receptions may be scheduled in the following areas, subject to availability.

Basic cost includes: 
  • Auditorium for rehearsal and ceremony
  • Fellowship hall for rehearsal dinner 
  • Dressing rooms for wedding party
  • The church cannot be responsible for any personal items which are brought to the church in preparation for the wedding and therefore, will not be held liable if such items are lost or stolen. 

Optional cost includes:
  • Kitchen for reception - $500
  • Nursery for ages 0-1 - $100
  • Livestream media services - $100


Please leave rooms in the condition in which you found them – CLEAN, Thank You! 

When decorating any room in the church building for your wedding, the following guidelines MUST be followed. Please only use “sticky tack” to attach any décor to the walls. No staples, nails, or tape can be used. No glitter or confetti to be used in any part of the building. 

Conduct

The immediate wedding party will be responsible for the conduct of all participants and guests, and the following rules must be strictly complied with:
  • Alcohol is not permitted anywhere on church grounds. No one will be allowed to participate in any rehearsal or wedding while under the influence of intoxicants.
  • Smoking or use of tobacco products is not permitted on church property
  • There will be no dancing in any of the church buildings 
  • Children are to be monitored by an adult at all times. Please ensure children stay within the allowed areas of the church building and are respectful to all areas of the building. 

Commitments & Responsibilities

Full cooperation from the wedding party, caterer, and florist is expected in the observance of the following list
  • We request that proper attire be worn during the rehearsal and ceremony
  • The wedding party, caterer, and florist are responsible for cleaning up the areas they use. We ask that the auditorium be cleared immediately following the ceremony.
  • The church will need reasonable notice of the date and times that the florist and caterer will need to enter the building. Please contact Tara Horn.
  • Caterers are responsible for removing everything (table coverings, dishes, silver, utensils, etc.) and for cleaning the kitchen area immediately following the reception. Caterers can use the kitchen area for food preparation, but cannot use the equipment, utensils, and dishes without permission from a member of the church staff. If refrigerator space is needed to store food, this must be requested three days before the wedding. (Contact Tara Horn) 
  • All food must stay in designated areas. 
  • It is the responsibility of the bride and groom to provide decorations and decorate the building for the wedding. It is also their responsibility to ensure someone from the wedding party will remove all the decorations shortly after the conclusion of the ceremony. 
  • Please take all garbage out to the dumpsters located on the Southside of the building.
  • The church will complete all cleanup tasks noted below, but all other cleaning is the responsibility of the wedding party. All trash and personal items must be removed by the wedding party.

Music

The music used at the wedding must adhere to the standards of worship and dignity expected of the ceremony. Recorded music should be approved and submitted to Heath Bartlett at least one week before the ceremony.

Sound Equipment

The church's sound equipment is available for use; however, a member of our media department must operate the sound system. The sound technician will attend the wedding rehearsal and will be available one hour before the time of the wedding for a sound check. All soundtracks, pictures, videos, or other media details must be submitted to the media department 24 hours before the wedding. If a picture of the couple is provided to the media department. 3 days before the wedding, we will feature that picture on the screens during the wedding. Livestream media is available for an additional cost. Pictures can be emailed to media@fbcplattsmouth.org or brought to the church office. 

Photography

Photographers will need to give reasonable notice to the officiant of date and times needed to enter the building.

Reception

You are responsible to find a caterer and linens, napkins, plates, silver, glassware etc. Plus clean up. All evening receptions must be finished by 9 pm. Saturday receptions must be finished by 8pm. 

The church will complete these “clean-up” tasks for all weddings and receptions:
  • All vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping 
  • Bathroom clean up
  • Resetting tables and chairs
  • Unlocking and locking of exterior doors
  • Setting and resetting church thermostats for the wedding and rehearsal days

First Baptist Church reserves the right to cancel any event due to unforeseen circumstances. If First Baptist Church cancels your event, you will be refunded any and all fees paid. You may then rebook another date with a 50% discount on the facility rental fee. Customers should only access the parts of the facility that they have rented. Other parts of the facility should be considered off-limits & should be communicated to their guests.

Wedding Agreement
He is risen!
Celebrate the joy of Easter at First Baptist Church with uplifting worship, powerful music, and a message of hope. Gather with us for our Easter Sunday services at 8:45 AM and 11:00 AM as we rejoice in the resurrection of Christ. It’s a morning of faith, fellowship, and celebration as we reflect on the victory of Jesus and the hope He brings!
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