Weddings
We are happy you are considering Franklin First United Methodist Church for your wedding. We look forward to helping you plan a special day the two of you will always remember. This section of our website should help answer many of your questions. Our wedding coordinator will meet with you to answer additional questions and help you plan your wedding. We have put much thought and prayer (two things no wedding should be without!) into our wedding policies and procedures so that your wedding will be both meaningful and spiritual.
PLEASE NOTE: Only members can have their wedding at Franklin First UMC.
Our Philosophy
At Franklin First UMC, we believe that marriage is a covenant between two people and God, and therefore we conduct weddings at our church as services of worship.
How to have a wedding at Franklin First UMC:
The first step is for the engaged couple to call one of our pastors and set up a time to meet for counseling. After the pastor agrees to perform the ceremony, the secretarial staff is notified and the date is put on the calendar. At that point, the couple needs to contact the Wedding Guild and inform them of the date, and the Wedding Guild will assist them in preparing for the ceremony.
Scheduling
When scheduling your wedding, please keep the following in mind. The prospective bride and groom are at liberty to request the services of the pastor to officiate the ceremony. Requests for guest pastors to share the ceremony should be referred to the officiating pastor.
Weddings are not scheduled during the following times: Holy Week (week before Easter), Easter Weekend, Franklin’s Main Street Festival Weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, Fourth of July Weekend, Labor Day Weekend, Thanksgiving Weekend, Advent Season (December), Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, or other dates when downtown Franklin has festivities or parades.
Weddings are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please notify the church of any changes or cancellations as soon as possible.
Your wedding is not set on the calendar until:
- You have met with one of the pastors,
- You have met with the wedding coordinator, Daphne Caveness, 615-591-9839
- You have paid your deposit and returned the wedding information forms to the church office.
Weddings that include a reception at the church may be scheduled no later than 6:00 p.m. Weddings without a reception may be scheduled no later than 7:00 p.m.
Planning Your Reception at Franklin First UMC
When planning the location of your reception, keep in mind that you may use the Fellowship Hall, located across the street from the sanctuary building. The Fellowship Hall will hold up to 200 people, and a full kitchen is available. It is up to the wedding party to contract catering and music for the reception.
Dancing is permitted in our facility. Live music or a D.J. is permitted, provided that the musician or D.J. bring their own sound system.
Caterers are welcome to use the kitchen for preparing and serving food. However, linens, china, and silverware are the responsibility of the caterer.
Caterers and sound technicians are required to meet with the Facilities Supervisor prior to the reception to go over operating equipment, available power sources, and so on.
Alcoholic beverages are not permitted anywhere on church property.
Photography Guidelines
Photography at your wedding insures that you will capture the memories of your special day. Pictures may be taken anywhere in the church or on the grounds preceding and following the ceremony. Photographers may not stand on pews or other pieces of furniture.
No pictures, either with or without a flash, may be taken during the ceremony except under the following conditions:
- The photographer may take one picture of the bride and her escort (s) from the back of the sanctuary as they prepare to walk down the aisle.
- Pictures may be taken without the flash from the balcony while the wedding party is at the altar.
- Flash photographs may be taken at the back of the sanctuary as the wedding party is recessing up the aisle after the wedding service.
- Pictures should be completed 45 minutes prior to the ceremony.
- Videotaping is allowed with a stationary unit either in the balcony or the side annex.
- Any furniture that is moved in the process of pictures being taken should be replaced to its original location. The photographer is responsible for insuring that all is put away.
Fee Schedule:
The wedding and reception should not last longer than a total of three hours. If your wedding and reception goes over our three-hour limit, an additional $50 per hour will be charged. Franklin First UMC reserves the right to withhold any or all of the deposit to cover damages or additional unplanned services.
The security deposit is due when the wedding date is set. The additional fees must be paid to the office at least two weeks prior to the ceremony, in one check made out to Franklin First UMC.
Selecting Music
You will be meeting with our Organist to select the music you want for the ceremony. Traditionally, music is incorporated in the following ways:
As a prelude while guests are being seated; as a processional; as a recessional; as a postlude as guests are escorted out of the sanctuary.
Since a wedding is a service of worship, your musical selections should fall within at least one of the following guidelines:
- It should be based on scripture;
- It should be a paraphrase of scripture;
- It should contain spiritual or religious references.