Vendors
Your vendors play a huge part in your big day. As you select vendors and make plans, please read through our vendor guidelines.
Florists & Caterers
Decorations and food for weddings and receptions are a vital element in the beauty of the occasion. They are also, unfortunately, one of the greatest potential sources for damage to church facilities and miscommunication between all concerned. The following guidelines are designed to enhance both the beauty of your wedding and protect the beauty of the church facilities.
Please understand, the parents of the bride are responsible for any damages to carpet, furniture or buildings. It is to your advantage to be certain your florist and caterer understand and follow these policies by signing and returning the forms provided in the bridal packet available from the Scheduling Coordinator 903-525-1126.
EQUIPMENT
Church property within the Worship Center or Chapel may only be moved by the Green Acres maintenance staff. Furniture may not be relocated from one part of the building to another. Green Acres Baptist Church musical instruments may not be moved at all. All setup arrangements for the reception must be indicated on the Setup Maintenance Request Form (available in the bridal packet) and given to the Scheduling Coordinator one month prior to the wedding.
DECORATIONS
You may have access to any of the buildings as early as 8:00 a.m. on the morning of the wedding and/or reception to decorate the rooms you will be using.
Due to lack of storage facilities, anything brought in by the wedding party, florist, caterer or a rental company must be removed immediately.
No nails, tacks, pins, wire or adhesives are to be used in any place or on any furniture in the church to secure decorations. Pipe cleaners, coated floral wire or padded clamps may be used to adhere arrangements and bows to pews.
We kindly request that you refrain from using lit candles within any building. We encourage the use of electric candles as a safe alternative.
If a Green Acres Baptist Church custodian is requested to assist with decorations, he shall be paid by the one requesting his/her assistance at the rate normally paid to him by the church.
DEPARTURE
Only birdseed or bubbles may be used for the “send off” of the bride and groom, and these may be used only outside of the buildings. We are sorry, but the safety of the participants and the facilities require us to prohibit the use of rice, confetti, flower petals, potpourri or any other material.
CLEANUP
Please clean up all areas after you finish decorating. All equipment should be removed from the ceremony area immediately following the ceremony and picture taking. Green Acres Baptist Church will not store floral equipment. Green Acres Baptist Church does not provide any cleaning equipment such as vacuums for cleanup. You must provide your own. Due to necessary cleanup, the reception area will need to be cleared by 9:30 p.m.
PERSONNEL
The Green Acres Baptist Church facilities staff is responsible for requested setup prior to the wedding reception.
The facilities staff is not responsible for:
• cleanup after flower preparation
• “bussing” for the reception
• cleanup of decorations and floral/caterer’s equipment
• admitting florists or caterers to parts of the church other than the specified areas where the wedding and/or reception will be held.
REMINDER
The facilities are dedicated to the Lord and we ask that all parties treat them with reverence and respect.
• Use of inappropriate language is prohibited.
• Proper dress is required for preparation and at the wedding and reception.
• The use of alcoholic beverages or items resembling such beverages is strictly prohibited on the premises or in any of the buildings.
• Smoking is not allowed in church buildings at any time.
• No furniture is to be moved or used to stand on.
Outside caterers will be held responsible for any lost equipment or damage to equipment or facilities during their use.
Please email the Scheduling Coordinator at debbie@gabc.org for any questions or concerns you may have.
Photographers
We appreciate the importance of preserving the memory of a wedding ceremony and are grateful for the cooperation of excellent photographers and videographers. To ensure clear communication between the bride, church and photographer or videographer, Green Acres Baptist Church has implemented the following policies to enable the wedding party to have pictures made without disrupting the ceremony or the reception. All photographers and videographers must sign the permit forms (available in the bridal packet) as acknowledgement of reading and agreeing to abide by the policies listed on the form.
We request that no supplementary lighting (flash, etc.) be used during the ceremony. Flash photographs may be taken as the wedding party enters and exits from the ceremony, provided these do not detract from the dignity of the service.
REMINDER
Photos and video should be as inconspicuous as possible during the ceremony. That includes:
• A minimum of movement during the ceremony
• Appropriate attire
• No interruptions of the flow of the ceremony for photographs
• No audible communication during the ceremony
Sound & Lighting
The Broadcast Ministry is responsible for all sound and lighting requirements. Sound and ambient lighting are provided only with Chapel weddings. All Chapel weddings require a sound operator selected and scheduled through the Broadcast Ministry. The sound op-erator does not attend the rehearsal. The operator will arrive two hours prior to the wed-ding for any sound checks and/or other instructions. Green Acres Baptist Church does not provide audio or video recordings of wedding ceremonies due to copyright issues with the music involved. Music soundtracks must be approved well in advance by Green Acres Baptist church through the audio operator. Up to two wireless microphones are provided for the minister(s) performing the ceremony and a limit of four wired microphones on stands. No other wireless microphone systems may be used by a 3rd party (i.e. videographer) unless approved one week or more before the wedding. A single audio feed from the console via 1/4″ jack is available for the videographer. However, the Green Acres Baptist Church audio engineer is not liable for content, mix or any other result of the recording.
The wedding party must contact the sound operator at least two weeks in advance if there are any videos or slide shows (i.e Powerpoint or other “picture” shows with audio) that are to be played before or during the wedding, or during the reception that is on church property. Any audio CDs, DVDs or slide shows must be discussed so you are aware what format these need to be in. Also, any recorded music MUST be on an audio CD disc in audio file format. No mp3 CDs, no iPods, no iPhones, MP3 PLAYERS OR ANY OTHER DEVICE WILL BE USED. It is beneficial to the wedding party to bring audio CDs and/or DVDs at LEAST one week in advance so that the audio engineer can make sure they work on our equipment. DVDs or “picture slideshows” on a DVD can NOT be in Windows Media Player format, or MP4 (Mac) format. They need to be able to play on a consumer (home) DVD player.
The Chapel offers seven different lighting presets to choose from for a wedding. At one of your visits to the Chapel prior to the wedding, Debbie Fisher, our Scheduling Coordinator, can show you these presets so that you can pick the one you prefer for your wedding.
If you or your musicians have questions about the sound or lighting for your wedding, please email the Broadcast Ministry. ashleighw@gabc.org