We are honored to be a part of your big day, and even more importantly, we look forward to the process of helping you prepare for what happens after the big day – marriage! You will spend far more time together as husband and wife than you will in planning for your wedding, so we want to help you prepare appropriately. As part of that preparation, we require you to participate in pre-marital counseling.
We believe that marriage is one of the greatest blessings our God has given us, and we want to ensure you are ready for this lifelong commitment. All of our pastors require pre-marital counseling before performing a wedding in order to build a foundation for a strong, Biblical marriage as well as prepare for life after “the big day.”
Since marriage is created by God, He alone gets to define it. Marriage is not merely a civil agreement between two parties; it is a sacred covenant between one man and one woman that springs from the very heart of the One who created it and is designed to glorify Him.
Far from our normal thinking, marriage is not about efficiency, economics or even sex. Marriage is about God; husbands and wives were designed to demonstrate the relationship that Jesus Christ has with His church.
In order to assist you, we ask that you apply at least six months prior to your anticipated wedding date. If you are unable to turn in your forms at least six months in advance of your wedding date, we may not be able to guarantee that we will have a pastor available to officiate your ceremony. Whether you are interested in having your ceremony at Lake Forest Church or having one of our pastors officiate your wedding at another location the process begins the same way.
Whenever a pastor is asked to speak at or perform a wedding or a funeral, or even speak at a conference, we suggest a voluntary honorarium.
Local wedding: $250
Out of town wedding: Hotel + $300
Out of state wedding: Travel + Hotel + $300
You will be contacted by phone to review your inquiry; answer any questions you have about the process and help us learn a little more about you. This will also be the time to discuss what your next steps are as well as schedule and confirm the wedding date with the officiating pastor of your choice.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Melissa Alvarez via email or call 704.948.3232.