Weddings
Congratulations! We are happy that you have decided to celebrate your commitment to each other. We at Bethlehem honor the sacred nature of your relationship, and we look forward to helping you plan for this important event.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church is a community that works to connect people with God, each other and their mission in the world. We believe marriage should be rooted in the steadfast love of God. God’s faithfulness and self-giving love serve as models for the relationship between husband and wife.
Bethlehem as a community affirms and supports your decision to marry by offering opportunities to grow in faith, in fellowship and in your relationship with each other.
Since you have chosen to marry in a Christian church, your wedding at Bethlehem will be a worship service with its primary focus on God. The pastors, organist, wedding coordinator and other members of the Bethlehem community will assist you in the preparation of your wedding service.
We hope this is a helpful initial source of basic information about weddings at Bethlehem. We look forward to connecting with you in person! After you have looked at this information, if you have other questions or are interested in finding open dates, please contact Janet Lauber, at 612.312.3418 jlauber@bethlehem-church.org .
Information on member and non-member weddings at Bethlehem
The church is available for weddings between11:00 am and 4:00 pm on Saturdays, 4:00 pm being the latest we like to begin a ceremony. A typical ceremony is 30 minutes in length. Rehearsals are usually held at 6:00 pm. the evening prior to the wedding and typically last 1 hour. Friday evening weddings are also possible, with the latest starting time being 6:00 pm.
The fees for 2013/2014 cover the cost of providing quality services to support you as you plan for your marriage and the wedding day itself. They include: a wedding coordinator, building use, pastor, organist or pianist, sound technicians, custodians, Prepare/Enrich premarital inventory, Pre-Marriage Retreat, Me to We Mini-Financial Workshop and administration fees. Total fees are $1,230.00. A deposit of $430 is required to reserve a wedding date. $160 of the deposit is nonrefundable once classes have been taken.
All couples married at Bethlehem must take part in our four-step marriage preparation process. This includes the "Getting Started" session and Prepare/Enrich, the "Pre-Marriage Retreat", "Me to We" mini-financial workshop and meeting with one of our pastors. Bethlehem offers Winter, Spring and Fall Pre-marriage Sessions. Please contact Janet Lauber at 612.312.3418 or jlauber@bethlehem-church.org to sign up.
1. Attend a “Getting Started” Session, meet our wedding coordinators as they share what to expect at your rehearsal and wedding day and hear directions about taking the online version of the Prepare/Enrich Pre-Marriage Inventory. Sundays 11:30 am – 12:30 pm. Choose one date: October 6, 2013, January 5, 2014, March 23, 2014 or October 12, 2014
2. Attend a Saturday "Pre-Marriage Retreat" at Bethlehem, 9:30 am – 3:30 pm.
Choose one date: October 26, 2013, January 18, 2014, April 5, 2014 or October 15, 2014
3. Attend a “Me to We” mini-financial Workshop at Bethlehem, a 1 ½ hour workshop. Monday nights from 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm or on Saturday mornings from 10:00 am - 11:30 am. Choose one date: Monday night May 6, 2013, Saturday Nov. 9, 2013, Monday night Feb. 17, 2014, Monday night May 5, 2014 or Saturday morning Nov. 8, 2014
We are excited to play a part not only in your wedding ceremony, but also in helping you grow a healthy relationship! Other couples who have been through the retreat and financial workshop have found the process very helpful, so we’re confident that you will also benefit from it and have a great time doing it!