Wedding In The Country

To help provide you the best service possible, it is important that both the couple and the church communicate well their expectations. The following list is a suggested guideline to follow to help you plan your special day:

1. Contact the Wedding Co-Ordinator. Presently, Annette Culp is the Irricana United Church’s contact. She can be reached by phone at (403) 935-3595 or by e-mail at annette@weddinginthecountry.ca. She will set up a tour of the church if you have not visited before and explain an overview of our services. It is important to give sufficient time to accomplish all that needs to be done, so initial meeting should be at least four (4) months before the wedding date. She will then send out an information package.

2. Read and sign our contract. After choosing Irricana United Church, you need to familiarize yourself with our policies in and around your wedding. If you agree to the terms in our Lease Agreement provided to you, please sign one copy, accompanied by your $100.00 non-refundable deposit made out to “Irricana United Church”, for the co-ordinator to present to the church board for approval. As the board only meets once per month, it is imperative that this step be dealt with as soon as possible to ensure enough time to accomplish all expectations. Please send deposit and agreement to: Wedding Co-Ordinator, Irricana United Church, Box 128, Irricana, Alberta T0M 1B0.

3. Meet with the Minister. Presently, Pamela Milton is the minister at Irricana United Church. She can be contacted at (403) 935-4644 or e-mail at pamelad@efirehose.net. After your contract has been received, your information will be passed on to our minister who will want to meet with you to discuss your ceremony and arrange for pre-wedding Christian based marriage preparation.

If you have chosen to utilize the services of a different minister, it is still requested that you, and your alternate, contact our minister out of courtesy and to learn of the church’s policies and guidelines.

4. Enroll in pre-marriage Counseling. To ensure that counseling is attended to, time must be set aside to accomplish this requirement. Our minister will provide you with a list of organizations that provide this service. Fees vary, but please be aware that this service is not included in our Lease Agreement and you will be responsible to enroll and pay for this separately.

5. Arrange for wedding ceremony music. Our organist, Adelia Wade, can be contacted at (403) 935-4996. She has an extensive repetoire for your choosing. If she is required to learn a new piece, extra time is requested to obtain and practice the music. She has requested that she be contacted a month in advance to ensure that she is available. If you wish for a pianist or pre-recorded music, she will arrange that with you at this time. Remember, if you do not utilize her services, there is no discount in your fee.

6. Arrange for decorations or special requests. Some couples have chosen to get married in our church without any embellishments at all. Others have specific decorating ideas that they wish to implement. It is important that if you need extra time for decorating the church outside of set times indicated in the Lease Agreement for the rehearsal, you must contact the co-ordinator to arrange for that. Other special requests may be: seating related (wheelchairs, etc.), related to the ceremony (candlelight service, color scheme), or dealing with photographs outside of the ceremony itself, all of which would require extra attention and time.

7. Rehearsal. Typically, rehearsals are the evening before the wedding date and should take no longer than two hours. We have found that this amount of time gives you a couple of “run throughs” and extra time for any decorating duties. You and the minister will figure out an appropriate time and it will be the responsibility of the minister to pass this information on to support personnel. It is important that all members of the wedding party be present to ensure a smooth ceremony. We also request that all wedding party and family members respect the space and the process. Part of what makes the church special is the acoustics, but that also means that every noise is amplified and can be very disruptive whilst rehearsing.

Please be aware that other user groups may be present while your rehearsal is in progress.

8. Wedding Day. If there is any last minute decorating, please notify the minister and/or the co-ordinator so that you can be let in early. It is suggested that this activity be done an hour before the ceremony as room is limited in the foyer and needs to be cleared before guests start to arrive. Notify any ushers to arrive at least one half hour before the ceremony is to begin. Please ensure that all wedding party members be on time. It is important to remember how long it takes to drive and directions to the church from points of origin. A map and directions can be accessed online at our website WITC.efirehose.net.

We hope this list has provided you with some valuable information to help us accommodate your needs for your wedding. If there is something that we have not covered or not made clear, please contact the co-ordinator or minister and she will gladly explain further.

Thanks so much for choosing Irricana United Church. We look forward to working with you on your special day.