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Weddings

Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding! Many couples spend hours and hours planning their wedding but fail to make that same time investment in planning their married life together. We encourage you as a couple to take advantage of this time to prepare for marriage. We pray that during these weeks and months of preparation and planning, you will enjoy what God is doing in your relationship, as you learn to serve each other and glorify God. We take this preparation process very seriously and hope you will too. It is important that you honor the time deadlines that are pointed out under “Deadlines Leading Up To Your Wedding Day”.

Fairfax Church believes that marriage is the holy union of a man and a woman in which the couple commits to building a loving, faithful, Christ-centered relationship that will last a lifetime. Marriage is meant to reflect the relationship Christ has with His Church. We believe that when marriage is fashioned after God’s loving design it blesses not only the couple and the family they create but also the church and community as a whole, bringing glory to God.

REQUIREMENTS

Couples who would like to have their wedding ceremony at Fairfax Church and/or have one of the pastors at Fairfax Church officiate their wedding ceremony at another venue need to meet the following requirements:

  • Be followers of Jesus Christ.
  • At least one of the partners should regard Fairfax Church as their home church and be a regular attender at worship services.
  • Complete and submit the “Wedding Request” form.
  • Complete and submit the “Premarital Questionnaire”, and participate in a premarital counseling session.
  • Participate together in our Looking Toward Marriage classes, which are held throughout the year.
  • Agree to and sign the Purity Promise Covenant.
  • Meet with the pastor who will officiate your wedding ceremony.

Engaged couples that do not currently consider Fairfax Church to be their church home should regularly attend worship services for at least six months prior to the wedding and meet all other requirements above.

PASTOR AVAILABILITY

If there is a specific pastor you would like to have officiate your ceremony, you may certainly make that request. Because of the different pastor’s individual schedules we may not be able to accommodate your request, but we will try. We cannot confirm a specific pastor’s availability until three months prior to the wedding date.

There are two times during the year that our pastors are not available to officiate. They are the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Thursday through Sunday, and during the Christmas and New Year holiday time, December 24th through January 1st. Also, please note that Pastor Rod Stafford is unable to perform weddings on Saturday or Sunday, due to his weekend worship service schedule.

Our pastors are available to perform wedding ceremonies in, or nearby, the Northern Virginia area. For weddings held at the church or within 15 miles of Fairfax Church the fee for having one of our pastors officiate your ceremony is $300. For weddings held more than 15 miles from the church the fee is $350. This payment needs to be received not later than two weeks prior to your wedding date, and can be made by check. Please mail or give your check made payable to “Fairfax Church”, to Kathleen Otchy at Fairfax Church.

SEXUAL PURITY

Fairfax Church and its pastors urge you to pursue and preserve sexual purity before marriage. The Bible calls us to reserve sexual intimacy until vows of commitment have been made establishing the bond of marriage. This lays the proper foundation and security for a stable marriage relationship. The physical intimacy of sexual expression is God-designed and beautiful, however premarital sex has been shown, in research and experience, to hinder the building of a good foundation for a lasting marriage relationship. You will be asked to sign a Purity Promise covenant.

We want not only to encourage you to follow the wisdom of God’s Word in pursuing sexual purity, but also to stand ready to help you as you seek to do so. We encourage you to talk over the issues you have related to sexual purity with one of our pastors. We are ready to help you pursue sexual purity as you prepare for Christian marriage.

LOOKING TOWARD MARRIAGE CLASSES

The purpose of the Looking Toward Marriage class is to prepare and equip couples considering marriage for a God blessed, God centered, and lasting relationship. The course is designed for engaged couples, those considering marriage, and those that have been married for less than one year. The class is required of all couples being married by one of our pastors, and should be completed at least three months prior to the wedding date. The class meets once a week over four consecutive weeks, in the home of a mentor couple that leads the group. Prior to each class meeting, the couples have a reading assignment and are expected to complete the corresponding workbook exercises. Topics covered include spiritual growth in marriage, communication and conflict resolution styles, finances, roles and expectation, and intimacy. Couples are expected to attend all of the four sessions.

Looking Toward Marriage classes are held throughout the year. There is a fee of $70 per couple to cover the materials for the class. For more information or to pre-register for an upcoming class please email kathleenotchy@fairfax.cc.

MARRIAGE LICENSE

Each state has its own requirements relating to marriage licenses. In Virginia, the clerk or the deputy clerk of any circuit court in any county or city in the Commonwealth issues a license for marriage. Both parties must appear before the Clerk to obtain a license. The ceremony may be performed anywhere in Virginia within 60 days of the date that the license is obtained. Contact any circuit court, or check on-line for detailed information about obtaining your license. Requirements in other states or the District of Columbia can also be found online. Your license should be given to the Officiating Pastor or Wedding Advisor at your wedding rehearsal.

WEDDING CEREMONY

Your wedding ceremony should be planned with care, recognizing that it is a worship service. This is a time to celebrate and affirm your love for each other, as well as a time to give thanks to God for all of His gifts. You will work closely with your Officiating Pastor as you plan the details of your wedding ceremony. The Officiating Pastor will describe the order of service they typically follow and help you make choices that make your wedding reflective of the things you value. You will be given ample opportunity to personalize your ceremony. Let your pastor know if there is a specific Bible passage, reading, or music that you would like to have included.

MUSIC

Keeping in mind that the wedding ceremony is a worship service, all music must be carefully chosen to ensure that it reflects the event. All music selections must be approved two weeks prior to the wedding date.

REHEARSAL

A full rehearsal must be scheduled for a time that also fits into the Officiating Pastor’s schedule. All participants (including bride, groom, bride’s maids, groom’s men, ushers, ring bearer, flower girl, bride’s and groom’s parents), and pastor(s)) must be present and on time for the rehearsal. The typical length of a full rehearsal is 60-90 minutes, depending on the size and complexity of the wedding ceremony.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY

Flash photography may be taken, in an unobtrusive manner, during the processional and recessional. Non-flash photography, taken in an unobtrusive manner, is permissible during the ceremony however the photographer and/or videographer should maintain a respectable distance from the wedding party, being mindful of the nature of the ceremony taking place.
Photographs of the wedding party may be taken before or after the wedding ceremony.

WEDDINGS HELD AT FAIRFAX CHURCH

If you are having one of the pastors at Fairfax Church officiate for you, you may choose to have your wedding ceremony at the church in the Great Room if it is available. We acknowledge the costs associated with many weddings, and offer the Great Room Wedding as a cost effective alternative. The Great Room provides an intimate setting for a ceremony with 100 or fewer guests. Due to our weekend worship services, Saturday weddings need to be held with a start time not later than 10:30AM. Weddings cannot be held in the Great Room on Sunday. We are happy to accommodate Friday evening weddings, which are becoming increasingly popular, as well as weddings taking place on other weekdays.

For more information about having your wedding ceremony at Fairfax Church, please see Additional Guidelines for weddings held at Fairfax Church. For other specific questions about having your wedding ceremony at the church, please contact Kathleen Otchy by email at kathleenotchy@fairfax.cc or by phone at 703-745-1030 ext. 109. We are not able to accommodate requests for receptions at this time.

SCHEDULE OF DEADLINES

In order to have your wedding day and your wedding ceremony run smoothly, and to reduce the amount of stress so that you can better enjoy your wedding day, we have a schedule of deadlines that must be met over the weeks and months leading up to your big day. Please select the list that fits your situation. It is of utmost importance that each of these deadlines be met.

HOW TO PROCEED

After reviewing this information, if you wish to proceed with plans to hold your wedding ceremony at Fairfax Community Church, or if you would like to have one of our pastors officiate at another location please complete the Wedding Request Form and email it to kathleenotchy@fairfax.cc. If you have any questions you may contact Lynn Lundberg at the above email address or by phone at 703-745-1030 ext. 109. We look forward to helping you get off to a great start in the exciting adventure of Christian marriage!

Weddings Held at Fairfax Church

In addition to meeting the general guidelines for weddings, and the time deadlines delineated in the appropriate corresponding document, there are further guidelines that need to be adhered to if you are having your wedding ceremony at Fairfax Church. Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in additional charges being incurred by the bride and groom.

WEDDING ADVISOR

A Wedding Advisor will be assigned to each couple having their ceremony at the church. Your Wedding Advisor will serve to ensure proper use of the facility and to assist you in planning your rehearsal and wedding. The Advisor will be available to meet with you and will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding the ceremony and/or decorations at Fairfax Community Church. The Advisor will be present for your rehearsal and ceremony. If you hire a wedding coordinator please be aware that your coordinator will also need to work with your Wedding Advisor for details surrounding the wedding ceremony and decorations at the church.

FACILITIES COORDINATOR

The presence of one of our Facilities Coordinators is required whenever our facility is in use for a rehearsal or wedding. On rehearsal and wedding days, he opens the building at the appropriate time and arranges for heat/air conditioning, lighting, and moves furniture into the appropriate configuration(s). He is available to take care of any facilities issues, should they arise. After the event, he will restore the Great Room to its original configuration. The Facilities Coordinator is responsible for preparatory cleaning as well as cleaning following your wedding. The wedding party is responsible for clean up and removal of all decorations, flowers, and any other items that they brought into the church.
The Facilities Coordinator is NOT responsible for removing decorations or for picking up garbage not placed in appropriate receptacles.

AUDIO-VISUAL TECHNICIAN

One of our Technicians is required for the use of our sound system in the Great Room. This person will set the area with any needed equipment and be responsible for sound reinforcement of the ceremony, musicians, and vocalists. The Wedding Advisor, one month prior to your wedding, will provide the name of the technician to you. Any video display must be submitted to your wedding Advisor two weeks prior to your wedding, and must also be given to your Audio-Visual Technician at your rehearsal. The Technician will be ready for a sound check one hour before the ceremony. Please arrange for all musicians or members of the wedding party who should participate in the sound check to be ready and available at that time.

USE OF BUILDING

Because everyone that uses the building impacts everyone else who uses the building, guidelines have been established for all to follow.

  • Weddings customarily require the use of the Great Room for the rehearsal and ceremony. In addition, for the day of the wedding you may reserve a room for the bride and bridesmaids to dress, and a room for the groom and groomsmen to use. An additional room for the photographer and/or videographer can be arranged on request.
  • The Great Room, bride’s room, groom’s room, photographer’s room, and rest room areas must be vacated within 90 minutes of the end of the wedding ceremony in order to avoid additional fees.
  • If the church or any church property is damaged, the bride and groom will be charged for the cleaning and/or repair (which shall be determined by the Facility Administrator).
  • Rooms not reserved for the wedding are not available for use during the wedding. Please expect childcare rooms to be locked. The wedding party is responsible for ensuring that people do not wander through the building, but stay in the areas that have been reserved.
  • Please inform your wedding party that church property may not be moved. The only items that may be moved are items the bridal party brings into the church, such as flowers and decorations.
  • Smoking is not permitted in any part of the facility, including restrooms. If guests smoke outside, provisions must be made for proper disposal of cigarette butts and ashes. You are responsible for providing containers for cigarette disposal.
  • Alcoholic drinks are not permitted anywhere on church property, including the parking lot.
  • Fairfax Community Church is not responsible for the safety of your personal property.

REHEARSAL

On the day of your wedding rehearsal, the Great Room will be available 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Please be sure that everyone is present at the time the rehearsal is scheduled to begin.

WEDDING DAY

On your wedding day, the reserved facilities will be available to you and your vendors 3 hours prior to the scheduled start time of your wedding ceremony, but not earlier than 7AM.

DECORATIONS AND FLOWERS

  • All decorations must be approved. Decoration items such as flowers, aisle runners, flowers, or flower stands must be rented or purchased if you wish to use them. No hand held candles shall be used, other than the tapers used to light the unity candle.
  • If you wish to include a Unity Candle in your ceremony, you will need to provide one large unity candle, two separate tapers, and candelabra or individual candle-holders, as well as an appropriate tablecloth to cover the table they sit on. Candles must also have a fire retardant pad under each candelabrum to catch the dripping wax. Remember to bring matches or a lighter to light the tapers with. No other use of candles is permitted.
  • No adhesives (including but not limited to scotch tape, sticky tack, masking tape, glue, etc.) maybe used on any woodwork, windows, furnishing, fixtures, or seating. No nails, pins, or anything that may cause damage may be used. No over-the-door hangers may be used. All freestanding items must have a protective stand in order to insure that the flooring is not damaged.
  • All decorations must be removed immediately after the wedding. Existing Christmas decorations cannot be removed for December weddings.
  • Flowers may be delivered to the church no more than 3 hours prior to the wedding. If there is a flower girl, and she is tossing flower petals before the bride, only artificial petals may be used.

SEND OFF

Bubbles may be used outside the building. Rice, birdseed, confetti and/or other similar products may not be used.

FEES FOR WEDDINGS AT FAIRFAX COMMUNITY CHURCH

For the standard wedding there is charge of $785 as follows:

  • Pastor’s Honorarium: $300.
  • Use of Facility: $200.
  • Wedding advisor: $125.
  • Audio-Visual Technician: Minimum fee of $160. ($40 per hour, with a 4-hour minimum, including both the wedding and rehearsal.)
  • Additional fees may be charged if the building is not vacated within 90 minutes of the end of the wedding ceremony. Additional fees may also be incurred if there is any damage, or if decorations are not properly removed.

A deposit in the amount of $200 is due at the time that the Great Room is reserved. All other fees are due not later than two weeks prior to your wedding. Payment should be made in the form of a check made payable to “Fairfax Community Church”, and delivered (via mail or in person) to Lynn Lundberg.

If you have any questions please contact LynnLundberg@Fairfax.cc.

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