Planning a Wedding
Each wedding at the Main Street Church has its own planning pleasures and challenges. There is, however, a general process for planning weddings.
Setting a date
We recommend that wedding dates be reserved months before the planned event, and securing a summer date by the first of year is not unusual. Unless other plans are necessary, a wedding reservation will include the day of the wedding and the afternoon or evening preceding that day (for a rehearsal). Please note that church events (including Holy Week, Easter, and the Christmas season) will not fit well with plans for weddings in the church.
Reservation
When a desired date is determined to be available, a reservation will be secured once a deposit is received by the church. Please see our section on fees for more information regarding deposits for reservations. A Wedding Application form will also be completed proving important contact information for wedding planners and the intended bride and groom.
Officiants
The pastor of the Trinitarian Congregational Parish of Castine is usually available as an officiant for a Christian wedding in the church. The pastor is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and conducts weddings according to the traditions of the church and the laws of the State of Maine.
Specific Requirements of the Pastor
Other Officiants
Officiants other than the pastor of the Trinitarian Congregational Castine may be approved by the pastor in consultation with the couple planning a wedding. In general, we are pleased to extend a welcome to individuals ordained or licensed by recognized religious organizations and denominations who are authorized to solemnize marriages in the State of Maine. Please note that it is customary for an ordained or licensed minister to ask permission of a local pastor to officiate a wedding in the local pastor’s church.
Individuals who are not ordained or licensed as clergy, but who are authorized under the laws of the State of Maine to solemnize marriages (justice of peace, notary public, etc.) may be considered as officiants of weddings in consultation with the pastor of the church. Please note, however, our “church wedding” policy above.
In some situations, the pastor of the Main Street church will work with other individuals as co-officiants of a wedding.
Marriage License
Under the laws of Maine, a marriage license is required before a wedding can be solemnized. Marriage licenses are obtained from town government offices, usually in one of the following ways:
Marriage licenses are issued for a finite number of days. If the couple is not married before the license expires, a new license must be secured.
The Marriage License must be presented to the officiant prior to the wedding ceremony. Without a valid Marriage License, no wedding can be performed! To avoid the possibility of forgetting the license on the wedding day, most officiants will collect and check the Marriage License well before the ceremony.
Weddings in Maine require two witnesses other than the wedding couple and the officiant. This is usually not a problem, but part of the planning process will be the identification of witnesses prior to the ceremony.
Immediately following the ceremony, the officiant and witnesses will sign the Marriage License to affirm that the ceremony took place.
Following the wedding, the signed and executed Marriage License must be returned to the Town Office from which it was issued. Part of the wedding planning process will include decisions about who will be responsible for filing the executed Marriage License.
Wedding Planners and Coordinators
Unlike some churches, the Trinitarian Congregational Parish of Castine does not utilize a staff Wedding Coordinator to plan all the logistics required for a church wedding (church decorations, flowers, wedding day logistics, traditions, and so on). In general, the pastor of the church will serve as the church’s representative in working with those who are planning the wedding. If the couple utilizes a professional wedding coordinator, that person will work with the church’s representative to approve plans for the use of the church during the wedding ceremony. The church’s representative reserves the right to disallow activities, decorations, or proceedings that may damage the church facility or disrupt the peace of the community.
In supporting the logistics of the wedding ceremony, we offer advice and assistance with:
Setting a date
We recommend that wedding dates be reserved months before the planned event, and securing a summer date by the first of year is not unusual. Unless other plans are necessary, a wedding reservation will include the day of the wedding and the afternoon or evening preceding that day (for a rehearsal). Please note that church events (including Holy Week, Easter, and the Christmas season) will not fit well with plans for weddings in the church.
Reservation
When a desired date is determined to be available, a reservation will be secured once a deposit is received by the church. Please see our section on fees for more information regarding deposits for reservations. A Wedding Application form will also be completed proving important contact information for wedding planners and the intended bride and groom.
Officiants
The pastor of the Trinitarian Congregational Parish of Castine is usually available as an officiant for a Christian wedding in the church. The pastor is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and conducts weddings according to the traditions of the church and the laws of the State of Maine.
Specific Requirements of the Pastor
- Since weddings fall outside the normal duties of the pastor, a separate fee will be charged for the pastor’s services. Please see the section on fees for more information regarding this charge.
- The pastor is ethically bound to meet with the couple planning their wedding at least once prior to the ceremony to discuss Christian life and marriage. For couples traveling to Castine from a distance to be married, special arrangements can be made for this counseling. The pastor reserves the right, following this meeting, to decline officiating at the wedding.
- The pastor will work with the couple to develop a wedding ceremony script that fits well with Christian tradition and the plans of the couple, including the writing of vows.
- In addition to performing the ceremony, the pastor will meet with the wedding party once prior to the ceremony to rehearse the ceremony and its movements. This rehearsal is usually scheduled for the afternoon or early evening before the day of the wedding.
Other Officiants
Officiants other than the pastor of the Trinitarian Congregational Castine may be approved by the pastor in consultation with the couple planning a wedding. In general, we are pleased to extend a welcome to individuals ordained or licensed by recognized religious organizations and denominations who are authorized to solemnize marriages in the State of Maine. Please note that it is customary for an ordained or licensed minister to ask permission of a local pastor to officiate a wedding in the local pastor’s church.
Individuals who are not ordained or licensed as clergy, but who are authorized under the laws of the State of Maine to solemnize marriages (justice of peace, notary public, etc.) may be considered as officiants of weddings in consultation with the pastor of the church. Please note, however, our “church wedding” policy above.
In some situations, the pastor of the Main Street church will work with other individuals as co-officiants of a wedding.
Marriage License
Under the laws of Maine, a marriage license is required before a wedding can be solemnized. Marriage licenses are obtained from town government offices, usually in one of the following ways:
- The couple takes out a marriage license at the town office of the town in which they live or plan to live following the wedding; or
- The couple takes out a marriage license at the town office of the town in which the wedding will be performed. (This is usually the method for couples who reside outside Maine.)
Marriage licenses are issued for a finite number of days. If the couple is not married before the license expires, a new license must be secured.
The Marriage License must be presented to the officiant prior to the wedding ceremony. Without a valid Marriage License, no wedding can be performed! To avoid the possibility of forgetting the license on the wedding day, most officiants will collect and check the Marriage License well before the ceremony.
Weddings in Maine require two witnesses other than the wedding couple and the officiant. This is usually not a problem, but part of the planning process will be the identification of witnesses prior to the ceremony.
Immediately following the ceremony, the officiant and witnesses will sign the Marriage License to affirm that the ceremony took place.
Following the wedding, the signed and executed Marriage License must be returned to the Town Office from which it was issued. Part of the wedding planning process will include decisions about who will be responsible for filing the executed Marriage License.
Wedding Planners and Coordinators
Unlike some churches, the Trinitarian Congregational Parish of Castine does not utilize a staff Wedding Coordinator to plan all the logistics required for a church wedding (church decorations, flowers, wedding day logistics, traditions, and so on). In general, the pastor of the church will serve as the church’s representative in working with those who are planning the wedding. If the couple utilizes a professional wedding coordinator, that person will work with the church’s representative to approve plans for the use of the church during the wedding ceremony. The church’s representative reserves the right to disallow activities, decorations, or proceedings that may damage the church facility or disrupt the peace of the community.
In supporting the logistics of the wedding ceremony, we offer advice and assistance with:
- Choreography of the wedding ceremony (movement and arrangement of the wedding party, including the procession and recession);
- Use of the sound system;
- Assistance with securing musicians (see below);
- Conducting the wedding rehearsal;
- Cleaning of the church prior to the wedding ceremony;
- Lighting, heat, and ventilation.