Wedding: Ceremony Site

Originally, when we picked out our wedding venue site, we were set on having the ceremony there as well. It was perfect for me. I wanted something that was easy access for all guests, especially those who were coming from out of state and could use the easy commute.

The venue has our reception room upstairs. Downstairs from that is a hallway filled with conference rooms. It was in one of those rooms where we would be having our ceremony.

We added it to the contract and paid the deposit for this room and our reception room! The only difference with the room compared to that in the picture, is when the room is set up for a ceremony, it's in theater style. 

So, a few weeks went by and I started thinking about decorating the ceremony room. I thought of so much: the lighting and how to make it look romantic. The aisle that I would be walking down to greet my husband, the archway we would stand under to say our vows, and of course the walls and all the ambiance around us.

Of course, we were limited with the space, but our coordinator was awesome and said we could hang anything from the walls as long as it didn't ruin the paint. Bonus! I loved so many things I found online as options for this room: 

There was even an arch that Waypoint provided that we could use at the "altar" 

Even though all this is so beautiful, and the room is right on site; we were hestitant. I couldn't get out of my head that this was a conference room. I shouldn't really care, since it's only a half hour ceremony and that after all is said and done, we will be married regardless. BUT, it was still stuck in my head. And, little did I know, Shane and other people felt the same way. It just wasn't for us.

After much discussion and back and forth with Waypoint (we had considered having the ceremony in the reception room, but they would only be able to seat 20 people in the "theater" fashion and everyone else would have to sit at their table) we made our decision to not have the ceremony there.

We switched gears and contacted a church just a mile down the street from Waypoint. It's the Pilgrim Church of Christ, a Methodist church. Shane and I are both Protestant (Methodist) so we are pretty lucky to not have to convert for the ceremony.

I called and spoke with the Reverend at the church, who happily handed me over to their officiant for weddings, Reverend Russ. I spoke with Rev. Russ on the phone and he graciously accepted our request to have him marry us. Quickly we made arrangements to meet him during our recent trip to MA. And there, we bonded and took him our "wedding words" book to choose all the words of our ceremony.

Here are some pictures of the church and sanctuary. So excited for this beautiful day!!!

Source - Bradshaw Photography

Source - Search Reel

Pilgrim Church was established in 1964 through a merger of the North Congregational, Pilgrim (non-denominational) and United Christain-Congregation Churches. Its roots are in the First Congregational Society, which was established at the Head of the River in 1708. The present building was erected as the Triniatrian Congregational Church in 1890 and remained its home when it merged to be become the United Church.

Among the special features is a large Tiffany mosaic of the Sower, memorial windows including one by Tiffany, and carvings made with wood from the Holy Land. The congregation belongs to the United Church of Christ.

What drew us in originally to this beautiful church, is the stone on the exterior of the building. Just awesome, and exactly what we were looking for. Then, we stepped inside, and that itself is even more breath-taking! We didn't realize how much it meant to us to get married in a church until we were standing at the altar!

Did you change your mind about your initial decision on your ceremony? Are you getting married in a church or at the venue?