Plan Your Ceremony
Your wedding day is a big milestone in your life and your faith journey – it is the day that God blesses your promises to each other and your relationship. To ensure your wedding ceremony goes smoothly, making proper arrangements for the ceremony and preparing as a couple are critical steps and we are here to help. At Hales Corners Lutheran, we strive to surround you with guidance, resources and support every step of the way.
Service Programs
We can help provide a service program for you, at a reasonable charge to cover our costs. If you have a service program done by someone other than the church, please consult the pastor for order of service, appropriateness, etc. prior to final printing. You can email it to jcrowe@hcl.org or drop off a draft copy at the church office to the attention of the wedding coordinator.
Selecting Music
What music should we have for the ceremony? How do we choose? Do we have soloists? Instrumentalists?
Have no fear, help is on the way! Here are some considerations for your ceremony music selections:
Consider what your musical style is as a couple. Do you want more traditional music and hymns or something a little more modern?
Do you know someone that you would love to have involved in your special day that can sing or play an instrument? Adding the personal touch may be more memorable than hiring a musician.
When looking for music, keep in mind that you should be looking for music that has to do with your relationship with God as well as your relationship with each other.
As a rule of thumb, most weddings have 1-3 solos or hymns.
For ceremony music questions, contact Jana Petersen at jpetersen@hcl.org or call 414-529-6700.
Photography
When choosing a photographer there are some things you will want to keep in mind:
Think about how much of your wedding day you will want to pose for the camera. Do you want more posed shots or candids? You will want to see both types of photos from a prospective photographer; some are very strong with one and not the other.
Does your photographer understand what it is that you are looking for?
Are they personable? They will spend a lot of time with you and your family and friends. It would be nice if they didn't make people frown!
Make sure they understand the rules that the church has for them. It is most important that your families and friends are able to focus on your wedding and your promises to each other and not the person capturing it on film.
Flowers
Flowers in the chancel area of the church are not expected, but are appreciated. If you are providing flowers, a combination of altar/flower stand is something to discuss with your florist.
Decor
For attaching decorations on the ends of the pews, plastic pew clips, rubber bands, and/or ribbon work really well. No tacks, tape, metal hooks, etc. Please refer to the Pew Bow section of the Wedding Information and Policy Packet for additional requirements.
If you are having a wedding candle as part of the altar centerpiece, make sure that all three candles are easily removable from and replaceable in, the centerpiece.
Flower petals may be scattered down the aisle if the petals are a light color that will not stain the floor. An aisle runner is also required to make clean-up faster.
An aisle runner is not required or expected unless you are using fresh or artificial flower petals to scatter down the aisle. We do not provide an aisle runner. You may purchase or rent those at a number of places. The proper length for the aisle runner to purchase/rent is 75 feet.