Worship | Athens First UMC

Weddings

A Message to the Bride & Groom

We are happy you are considering Athens First United Methodist Church for your wedding! Please note that Athens First United Methodist Church conducts weddings for contributing members only at this time.

The sanctuary and chapel are available for wedding ceremonies. The space may be festive and beautiful while maintaining the atmosphere of a house of worship. The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church affirms that a church wedding is a worship service reflecting a joyful, reverent, and dignified celebration. By having your wedding in the church, you are making a statement about your value for Christian worship for yourself and the new family that begins with your marriage.

For questions concerning the guidelines for weddings, the ministers, staff, and Altar Guild members have prepared the following information to assist in planning a wedding within the context of a United Methodist worship service. Please read it carefully before beginning the application process.

BASIC INFORMATION

The suggested maximum capacity for our spaces is as follows:
-Sanctuary: 700
-Chapel: 80
A member's wedding with no rehearsal, decorations, or music included requires no fee for the sanctuary or chapel. However, fees apply if plans change.
Alcoholic beverages and smoking are prohibited on the church premises, including the parking lots.
You may contact Kelly Roberson at Athens First UMC for more information regarding wedding fees and to schedule a wedding. Her email address is .
You will be assigned a Church Wedding Director/Liaison from Athens First UMC.

TIME AND DATE

Athens First United Methodist Church members may reserve the church up to one year before the wedding date.
To be considered a contributing member of Athens First United Methodist Church, a person has committed their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness to the church for at least one year.
The church will be open three hours before and until one hour after the wedding. The Church Wedding Director will be present to assist you during this time.
Saturday evening weddings will be scheduled to allow ample time to prepare the church for Sunday morning activities.
We do not schedule weddings for Sundays, Holy Week (including Palm Sunday weekend), Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, UGA home football games, or other downtown events (e.g., AthFest, Twilight Criterium).
If at any time you need to make changes to the original time of the ceremony or rehearsal, please contact the Church Wedding Director first to confirm the adjustment.

INITIAL STEPS

Please contact Kelly Roberson at or 706-543-1442 to discuss dates. Once the date is confirmed for availability, she will send you a link to an online application form.
The church requires an ordained minister to perform all weddings. As part of the application process, you must provide the name of the minister who will officiate your wedding. Before listing a minister, please contact them to confirm their availability for your requested date. If you wish to have an outside minister perform the ceremony, approval from the Senior Minister is required.
The decision to perform a marriage ceremony is the right and responsibility of minister. The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church states that the minister will provide premarital counseling and discuss your wedding plans. For this purpose, the bride and groom should arrange a meeting with the minister before the wedding date. Please plan this well in advance of the wedding.
Before a wedding date is guaranteed, the application form will be reviewed and approved. In addition, a $100 deposit is needed.
One of our Athens First UMC Wedding Directors will be present at your rehearsal and wedding, even if you have a personal wedding director. The Church Wedding Director’s responsibilities include supervising the rehearsal and the wedding ceremony details and being the church’s representative. This director will schedule a preliminary meeting with you to review church policies, answer questions, offer suggestions, and discuss your wedding details. A second meeting will be scheduled closer to the wedding date to confirm details and discuss a timeline for the wedding day.
The services of our organist, Raina Woods, are included in your ceremony fee. If she is unavailable, she will help coordinate another organist for your wedding.
Please provide the name and contact information of the photographer, florist, and videographer (if applicable) before the wedding date.
The balance of fees for the wedding is due in the church office four weeks before the wedding.
Please obtain the marriage license at least a week before the wedding and give it to the minister.

REHEARSAL

At the rehearsal, the Church Wedding Director provides instructions and answers questions for the wedding party.

WEDDING

On the wedding day, the Church Wedding Director assists and supervises so things go according to schedule. She will arrive three hours before the service and open the building for the wedding party and vendors.
For your further assistance, a member of the Altar Guild will be present during the wedding.
A sound technician will be present for the rehearsal and wedding to assist with the audio and other technological needs.
Keeping with United Methodist tradition, the Wedding Director will instruct the wedding party to enter the sanctuary in a procession led by a crucifer.
The United Methodist Church observes an open communion table. You must plan to serve the entire congregation if you choose to administer the Sacrament of Holy Communion during a wedding.
You may not use rice, confetti, birdseed, flower petals, or any similar material to throw in the church building or at any entrances. You may use bubbles outside only.
The church cannot block streets for vehicle parking. You must make these arrangements by contacting Downtown Parking Services (706-613-7978). The Church Wedding Director will give you more information about parking in our lots.
Dressing Rooms:
- The John Wesley Room (253) is available for the bride and her attendants. The room includes access to an adjoining restroom and mirrored makeup area.
- The groom and groomsmen will meet in Room 261 adjacent to the sanctuary on the Hancock Street side of the church. A restroom is fadjacent to the stairs one floor down.

RECEPTION

Please contact the Kelly Roberson for more information, including space availability.

AFTER THE WEDDING

The bride should have a designated person to remove flowers, decorations, the bridal party’s possessions, food, and drink within an hour following the ceremony.

DETAILS

MUSIC

Only live music is permitted during the wedding.
Our Organist, Raina Wood, oversees all musical portions of the wedding service and sees that all music is appropriate for Christian worship. She maintains approval of all music for the service. The Organist should be consulted early in planning.
The fee for the Organist includes a one-hour consultation with the bride on the wedding ceremony. If additional rehearsing with soloists or instrumentalists is required, fees will be negotiated.
If Raina is unavailable, she will assist in finding a local organist.
If you want to bring in an outside organist, instrumentalist, or soloist, they must contact Raina in advance to be approved.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS

Your wedding is a worship service in the United Methodist Church. No flash pictures may be taken during the service.
Photos must be completed in the sanctuary or chapel 45 minutes before the service. Timed exposures using available light may be taken from the balcony. Please remind your photographer and inform your guests of this critical policy.
In keeping with a service of worship in the United Methodist Church, the only video camera permitted in the sanctuary will be placed in the balcony. No video camera will be permitted in the chancel area of the sanctuary. A video camera is allowed in the last pew of the chapel only. Please inform your videographer of this critical policy.

DECORATIONS

Decorations must be completed one hour before the service begins.
Altar furnishings, including the baptismal font, shall remain within the altar area. These furnishings may not be moved, including candles.
You may not attach decorations to walls, panels, or pews with nails, tape, or screws. Any damage will be reflected in your deposit after the wedding.

FLOWERS

The Church Wedding Director supervises flowers.
All floral arrangements and greenery displayed must be live in the sanctuary, narthex, and chapel.
A singular altar arrangement must be placed in front of the altar cross on an 11-inch-wide pedestal.
When incorporating two floral arrangements, arrangements should not exceed 28 inches tall or reach the arms of the altar cross.
All floral arrangements must be in brass, gold, silver, or white containers.
All floral arrangements and other decorations must be removed from the building one hour after the service.

CANDLES

It is required for the two altar candles to remain lit during the service. Nothing can be removed from the altar or moved within the chancel area.
If you desire more candles, the church can provide two seven-branched brass candelabra that may be placed on either side of the altar within the altar rail (14 candles).
Since no attachments may be affixed to the candelabra stands, palms may be used as background greenery.
Candles are not to be carried down the aisle by wedding party members.

HOLIDAY DECORATIONS

When you schedule a wedding during any holiday season, the church will be decorated for that season. You must incorporate seasonal decorations into the wedding décor. Decorations for the holiday seasons in the church may not be moved.

CHURCH WEDDING DIRECTORS
Ellen Cunningham
Kim Griffith
Tina Lord
Stacy Stephens

CHURCH OFFICE: 706-543-1442