Weddings

On Behalf of Rosemont Lutheran Church, I welcome those who are planning to be married in this parish. It is
a privilege to be part of this sacramental occasion with you, and I pray God's grace will be a source of
strength, encouragement and support and joy in your life together. Christian Marriage is a public, solemn
covenant between a woman and a man, entered into in the presence of God. It cannot be merely a private
contract, since it creates a new family within the large family of humankind, to which the Christian
community belongs. For that reason weddings customarily take place at the church altar, in the presence of
witnesses and invited guests. Marriage is the highest expression of love between a woman and a man, a sign
of God’s love for all creation, and more specifically, of Christ’s love for all God’s people, the Church.

The spiritual dimension of human life, as distinguished from the intellectual and physical dimensions, is at the
core of Christian Marriage. It is God’s Spirit who transforms human marriage into Holy Matrimony.
Together with love, companionship, children and the formation of a stable family unit, god can be known as
directly present in the person of your spouse. Christian Marriage, therefore, is a solemn, life-long
commitment by two people to love one another and remain faithful to the promises they make.

Before a wedding date is set, it is essential that you meet with the clergy person officiating. This initial
meeting is to ascertain that all requirements of Rosemont Lutheran Church can be met. Following this
meeting, a date and time can be entered on the parish calendar.

Our goal is for each wedding at Rosemont Lutheran Church to be a reverent and uniquely beautiful event. So
it is important that all details concerning the ceremony be handled with care and understanding. To this end,
consultations with the clergy and the Director of Music are of essential importance. What follows are
answers to questions which are most frequently asked. We look forward to working with you as you make
your plans.

Eligibility Requirements

One of the parties must be a baptized Christian. In addition, either the bride or groom, or member of their
family, must be members of Rosemont Lutheran Church. A Marriage Ceremony is an extension of our
worship life together, therefore, it is not our practice to host non-member weddings.

The officiating pastor must be given at least 30 days notice prior to the wedding date and the couple be
instructed as to the nature of Holy Matrimony and the Christian vision of life together as a married couple.
Pre-marital counseling with the pastor who is to perform the ceremony is required. The number of sessions
will be at the discretion of the clergy. Normally, three to four sessions are conducted. Referral to a licensed
pastoral counselor may be made in some circumstances.

It should be the couple’s intention to make the Lutheran Church the religious center of their lives, as
demonstrated by their regular attendance at worship, and their support of the work and the ministry of the
church.

Wedding Customs at Rosemont Lutheran Church

Marriage is a service of worship, therefore, weddings take place in the church. The Marriage Rite is found in
Lutheran Book of Worship, beginning on page 202. We adhere to the rubrics of the Rite.

Rosemont Lutheran Church comfortably accommodates 150 people.

Normally, the Rosemont clergy will preside at the service. Guest clergy may assist with the pastor’s
permission and personal invitation. On occasion, a guest member of the clergy may even officiate, but the
Rosemont clergy will always be present to welcome the congregation, and to assist in whatever way
appropriate.

Except for a compelling reason, marriages are no solemnized during the season of Lent, and never during Holy
Week.

In deference to guests, weddings begin at the scheduled hour. Additional music is not provided to cover for
lateness, and we urge you to be certain your wedding party has clear directions to the church.

The Church aisle is carpeted, so the white runners provided by florists add nothing to the wedding service but
the danger of tripping. They are not permitted.

A celebration of the Holy Communion with the Marriage Rite is a full and graceful expression of the Church’s
understanding of Holy Matrimony. All baptized Christians are invited to receive Communion. The complete
liturgy, with Holy Communion, normally takes 45-60 minutes, depending on various choices made by the
bride and groom.

Rice, confetti, flower petals and other congratulatory missiles may not be thrown inside of outside on Church
property. We ask ushers in the bridal party to discourage their use.

Out of concern for the environment, there are to be no balloon releases.

Printed programs are normally not of great interest. A wedding is a very visual occasion and guests are far
more interested in seeing it than reading about it. When necessary, the clergy can direct the congregation to
the page numbers in Lutheran Book of Worship. If a printed program is desired nonetheless, and you want
the parish secretary to provide them, ALL INFORMATION MUST BE IN THE CHURCH OFFICE AT
LEAST 30 DAYS PRIOR TO THE WEDDING DATE. Inclusion of other printed matter, i.e. poems, quotes,
etc. will require extra time for copyright research and permissions. You must provide bulletin covers,
otherwise plain paper will be used.

The Marriage license must be delivered to the parish office no later than the wedding rehearsal (and preferable
earlier). The pastor cannot officiate without the license.

Wedding consultants, when used, should be made aware that the conduct of the wedding rehearsal and
service are the responsibility of the officiating pastor alone.

Service Music

At Rosemont Lutheran Church we hope to create a wedding service which seeks to both capture the Church’
s message and express your joy upon this happy occasion. Weddings aren’t private affairs, but an extension
of the parish worship life. Therefore, we must balance your desires with the greater Church vision. Music is
an essential part of the Christian worship. Biblically speaking, music is a critical tool used by the church to
express its sentiments to God. We encourage you to work closely with the pastor and the Church Musician
to create a meaningful service for you, and in the eyes of the church.

General

All music needs to be approved by the musician and the pastor. They are professionals in their field, having
devoted years of study on this subject. It is their pleasure to answer your questions and guide you in your
selection of pieces with religious content.

It is the wedding couple’s obligation to get in touch with the organist. The parish musician will meet with you
personally to help determine your processional music and other ceremonial music. The parish musician will
also be pleased to answer any of your other questions.

Hymnody is highly encourages and the pastor and the musician will be happy to work with you on this
matter. Hymns for these occasions need to have an ecumenical (or multi-denominational) flare. Families and
friends often come from very diverse religious backgrounds, so personal favorites may no work in all
circumstances. We hope that we can create a participatory service at which the congregation would be
comfortable.

Unless there is an emergency or a scheduling conflict, the parish organist will be conducting your wedding.
This is to ensure a comfortably flowing service and that the musical and liturgical standards of the parish are
maintained. If an outside musician is to perform, the music still needs to be approved by the pastor or
resident musician.

Vocalists

Vocal soloist are welcome. Because these pieces are both text and music driven, both text and music must be
approved by the pastor and the musician. Sufficient time also needs to be approved for the musician to
practice their selections. If desired, the parish musician can provide a soloist.

The music must be within the liturgical, classical musical traditions of this church. Rosemont Church has
spent many years developing and maintaining high worship standards. We can help guide musicians in this
direction if there are any questions.

Vocalists must come prepared and have a degree of training. This provision is here to avoid embarrassment.
In the case of weddings, there isn’t enough time for the parish musician to be an effective vocal coach to a
music novice. Rehearsals with the vocalist will take place either on the wedding rehearsal day or the wedding
day itself, so there generally isn’t much time to rehearse.

Vocal soloist will no be singing the amplification. First, amplification is not available and is not needed in this
space. Second, the ability to sing without amplification reflects the degree of vocal competence necessary to
perform at an important occasion such as this. (Keep in mind that vocalists will be accompanied by the
organ. The piano, electronic or otherwise, is not an option.)

No pre-recorded music is used. Such music is inappropriate in our liturgical environment. The music needs
to be offered to God at that moment.

It is important the text of the vocal pieces have strong theological content. The solo represents a hymn of
thanksgiving to God rather that an ode of love to the couple, therefore, the text needs to have more than a
passing mention of God, prayer, grace, etc. It should delve into the religious theology of the Church on more
than a peripheral or surface level.

No pop music is used. The transient nature of pop culture is a theologically ineffective means to convey the
eternal purposes of God. The post-wedding reception is a much more appropriate venue for music of this
flavor than the church service.

Instrumentalists

Trumpeters and other instrumentalist are welcome. Again, their musical selections must be approved by the
musician and the pastor and sufficient time needs to be approved for the musician to practice his/her
selections. The parish musician will also be happy to acquire an instrumentalist if asked by the couple.

The music must be within the liturgical, classical musical traditions of this church. We can help guide
musicians in this directions, if there are any questions.

All musicians must come prepared. This is encouraged to minimize anxiety during the service. A poor
performance of a piece will be long remembered. Rehearsals with the outside musician and the organist take
place on the evening of the wedding rehearsal or the day of the wedding.

Processionals

The same standard of quality and suitability are also expected when selecting the processional. Such
processionals as Mendelssohn’s Wedding March and Wagner’s Bridal Chorus, however well-crafted they may
be, are inappropriate selections for liturgical weddings because they were written for dramatic contexts which
mock the institution of marriage. It is therefore inappropriate to have them performed within a sacred
marriage service. This policy is observed by many churches in many denominations and over the years has
been adopted as a universal practice.

Fees & Honoraria

The Minister of Music’s fee is $125, including consultation and wedding rehearsal. If you request a soloist or
additional musician, there is an additional $50 rehearsal fee.

The Sexton’s fee is $50, which is for preparation and cleaning of the church.

The groom customarily presents the pastor with an honorarium. The amount if left to the discretion of the
groom, but in response to many requests as to what is proper, the amount ought not to be less that the
Minister of Music’s fee.

Where hardship exists, all fees may be waived at the discretion of the pastor. Fees should be paid by
individual checks, rather than in a lump sum. The Parish office can provide the names, and the checks should
be brought to the office, together with the license, no later than the time of the wedding rehearsal.

Flowers

The family is to provide flowers for two bouquets used at the altar, in vases provided by the florist.
Arrangements are to be at least 24” high, but no higher than 29”. The church office must be notified of the
name of the florist and the florist must contact the church office to make flower delivery arrangements. All
wedding flowers are given to the glory of God and may be left in the chancel for Sunday’s worship service.

Rehearsals

A rehearsal is scheduled after initial consultation with the clergy. It normally takes place the day before the
wedding, and is not to be scheduled later than 6:00 PM. Please ask the participants to arrive 10 minutes ahead
of time. The officiating pastor directs the rehearsal.

Receptions

Laros Hall may be used for wedding receptions. Rosemont Church has a no-alcohol policy (which includes
the toast to the bride and groom).

The Future

The word vocation means calling, and refers to an activity, responsibility or relationship to which Gods calls
us. Marriage and parenting are two of the most important vocations to which we can be called. And yet,
marriage and parenting are also activities for which we have very little preparation. We learn by “on the job
training”. It’s been said that “the better a marriage is, the worse its partners will sometimes feel.” The reason
for this paradox is that strong marriages are not static; there is continuing growth and change and movement.
Change is usually painful, and growth is seldom easy. I urge you to allow Jesus Christ to be the spiritual
center of your marriage. In Him, by God’s grace, you will find the nourishment you will need to sustain and
strengthen you for your vocation during the exciting years ahead.

Peace and Joy,

The Rev. Jack A. Steltzer
Pastor