Flower girls rock!

First, contact the pastor. Those of non-Lutheran background, those remarrying, and those who are non-members are typically welcome to be married at First Lutheran Church. If you have special circumstances surrounding your impending marriage, please share this with the pastor. Final determination as to who may be married at First Lutheran is left to the discretion of the pastor.

If the pastor agrees to officiate and is available on the date you have chosen, contact the church secretary to schedule your wedding and rehearsal on the church calendar. No weddings will be scheduled during Holy Week or days that are national holidays. Reservations for wedding dates and times are on a first-come, first-served basis. Be aware that yours may not be the only wedding scheduled on the day you select. We attempt to have three hours between the starting times of weddings which are on the same day; in rare instances two hours between starting times may be necessary in order to accommodate as many couples as possible. When there are multiple weddings on a given day, it is expected that couples and photographers will cooperate with the pastor so that times and logistics unfold as smoothly as possible.

At the time you schedule your wedding and rehearsal on the church calendar, mail or deliver a $100 non-refundable deposit to the church office. Checks should be payable to " First Lutheran Church." Your scheduled wedding date will not be considered "reserved" until the deposit is received by the church office. The balance of fees is due one week before the date of the wedding. [A complete listing of fees is included in this publication.]

In the midst of all of the preparatory details for a wedding, sometimes it is easy to forget two other important preparations—living in a life-long relationship of marriage and living in a life-long relationship with the Lord Jesus and his church. To offer you support and encouragement in developing skills that will promote a strong Christian marriage, the pastors at First Lutheran Church expect couples to enroll in a pre-marriage seminar program. Two options for such seminars are available. Couples may enroll in pre-marriage workshops offered by Lutheran Socials Services, (715) 838-9856. LSS workshops are held on periodic Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Option two includes scheduling pre-marriage counseling with Chris Brahan of Gateway Counseling, LLC (715) 552-1735, after an initial meeting with the pastor to complete a pre-marriage inventory. Chris generally meets with couples for a two-hour feedback session in order to interpret the results of the pre-marriage inventory. It is your responsibility to call one of these resources well in advance of your wedding date to register for a pre-marriage workshop. It is also your responsibility to pay for fees associated with these sessions.

The officiating pastor will contact you three to four months prior to your wedding to schedule one or more appointments with you. If you need to speak with the pastor earlier than the appointment(s), feel free to contact the pastor at the church. Your time with the pastor will be spent not only talking about the specific details of the wedding service, but will also focus on your marriage relationship within the context of the Christian faith. You will explore what is distinctive about a marriage grounded in Jesus Christ, your personal relationship with the crucified and risen Lord, and your commitment to the community of faith, the church.

Those who have no congregational affiliation or who are First Lutheran inactives are welcome to be married at First Lutheran Church. We trust that God comes to us in the gathered community of faith with a Word of grace and life and with Sacraments which nourish and strengthen. We believe God has something wonderful in store for you! If you are a non-member or inactive, we would like to invite you into an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ and the church.

If the organ is to be used at your wedding, it is your responsibility to phone the organist. Plan well in advance of the wedding to arrange for the organist’s services and to set an appointment to review and select music. Call the church office for the name and number of the organist (832-8321).

A Wedding Coordinator is used for all weddings that require a rehearsal. The Wedding Coordinator will hold a pre-wedding conference with you to determine all logistics and details of the wedding service. In addition, the Wedding Coordinator will direct the rehearsal and assist you on the day of the wedding to make sure all logistics unfold smoothly. The Wedding Coordinator will call you approximately three months prior to the date of your wedding to schedule the pre-wedding conference.

Couples need to understand that because wedding dates are usually reserved far in advance of the actual ceremony, the regular pastor, organist, or Wedding Coordinator of the congregation may not be available due to vacations or other commitments. In such instances, the church is responsible for arranging substitutes. If this is a concern to you as a couple, it is your responsibility to be in conversation with the appropriate staff person(s) to discuss availability.