Guidelines designed to make wedding planning easy
We strive to make wedding planning easy for couples. The governing body of the congregation (the Session) has established policies and practices designed to ensure that your wedding will be a good experience for the church and for you.
Availability
Please reach out to our wedding coordinator to check availability of the church sanctuary. Weddings are typically scheduled on Saturdays, although we have occasionally done Friday evening weddings or (rarely) other times. We only do one wedding per weekend.
We recommend scheduling both the wedding date and the rehearsal date as soon as possible to ensure that the sanctuary is available. Rehearsals are generally held the evening before the wedding.
A deposit of $500 is necessary to hold the date for a wedding. We can notate your date as a tentative, but no dates will be held until we have received your deposit. Half of the deposit is refundable up to three months prior to the wedding date. The full remaining balance is due two months prior to the wedding. The wedding cannot go on as planned until all fees are paid. Payment can be made by check, made out to First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans. Talk to your wedding coordinator about credit card payments. Cash cannot be accepted.
Officiant
As of 2023, our pastor Rev. Kathy Crighton no longer officiates non-member weddings, but we are happy to recommend area pastors. Any officiant conducting a wedding ceremony at First Presbyterian Church should be a duly ordained minister of a church in correspondence with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and must be registered with Orleans Parish. The service must be consistent with those suggested in The Book of Common Worship.
We do request that couples participate in pre-marital counseling and ask that confirmation of completion be shared with the church.
Non-member weddings
We love to see couples come together in holy matrimony before the eyes of God. If the wedding couple are not members of our church, we ask that at least one of the betrothed be members of a Christian church or express their faith as a Christian.
Marriage license and certificate
Those who present themselves for marriage must, without exception, provide a license granted by the State of Louisiana authorizing a minister to perform the marriage. The state has given ministers authority to function as its legal agent in solemnizing marriages, but a marriage license is required.
Signatures for completion of the marriage certificate will be arranged at the end of the marriage ceremony. As required by law, the minister will mail the completed certificate to the Louisiana Vital Records Registry. A copy of the final certificate will be mailed to the couple. A certified copy, however, is required for legal purposes and the couple is responsible for obtaining this copy from the Vital Records Registry.
Decorations
The sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church of New Orleans is a grand and beautiful location in which to have a wedding. Floral decorations can be added to augment but never overshadow the ambiance of the space. Arrangements should be placed such that they do not interfere with the proper arrangements of the pulpit furniture for a worship service. Pipe and drape may not be used anywhere in the sanctuary. Wire may not be used to affix bows or flowers to the pews or any wood or metal surface. The chancel furniture also may not be moved. Additionally, any Christmas decor may not be moved.
Candles may be used but care should be taken to avoid getting wax on furniture or carpeting. Safety factors must also be taken into consideration. Only battery-operated candles can be placed in the center aisle or side aisles. The candles and candelabra in the sanctuary are available to be used in the service. No lighted candles may be carried by anyone in the wedding party.
All decorations, extra programs, unity candles, ring pillows, pew bows, and all other wedding accoutrements must be removed from the church when the wedding party leaves. The church cannot be responsible for items left onsite, although arrangement may be made in advance if a florist must retrieve vases or pedestals on the first business day following the wedding. Fresh floral arrangements may be left as a donation to the church for the enjoyment of the congregation at the next worship service.
Your flower girl may toss petals, although the couple or external wedding planner is required to clean them up. We recommend silk petals as they are easier to gather.
You are welcome to throw flower petals, dried flowers, birdseed, rice, etc., as the couple exits the church so long as the remnants are cleaned up before the wedding party leaves. For the health and safety of the birds and other animals in the surrounding area, silk flower petals may not be thrown outside of the church.
Photography & Videography
Photos may be taken before and after the wedding service. Timed exposures taken from the back of the sanctuary or balcony during the service often provide the best experience for the wedding couple and their guests. Flash cameras may be used while the wedding party is making its entrance up the aisle but after the entrance of the bride, only minimal flash photography should be used during the rest of the service. Photographers should refrain from moving about the sanctuary the service to keep the focus on the ceremony and the wedding couple and allow for the best possible experience for your guests.
The majority of couples arrange for photos following the ceremony. However, if you prefer to take photos before the ceremony, please alert the wedding coordinator because this may adjust the time frame of your booking or may incur additional costs.
Video cameras may be used during the service so long as they operate from a fixed position either in the back or front of the sanctuary or balcony. No special video lights are to be used during the service
Music
First Presbyterian Church houses a historic 1916 Austin pipe organ with trumpette en chaminade, which may be used for your ceremony. We can recommend an organist or you may provide your own. Please provide the name of the organist to the wedding coordinator prior to the rehearsal. NOTE: The organ is currently being repaired.
We also have a beautiful baby grand piano, and we are happy to provide a list of instrumentalists and soloists experienced in performing church services, or you may provide your own. Please remember that a wedding is a Christian worship service and the music chosen should be consistent with that purpose, although we do permit appropriate secular music.
Most instrumentation needs no sound amplification in our sanctuary. We can provide a microphone for a soloist, but our sound equipment is not suitable for a CD or MP3 player. If you plan on recorded music, we recommend hiring a disc jockey.
Other Regulations
First Presbyterian follows all laws and regulations of the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana. This includes any regulations regarding pandemics, masking, etc., in place on the wedding date.
