Preparation for Your Wedding Ceremony
After you have completed the Marriage Form, met with the minister whom you desire to perform the PCPC wedding ceremony, confirmed the date with him and mailed in your $250.00 deposit to the PCPC Wedding Coordinator, she will contact you to discuss the many details of your wedding, including flowers, music, attire, and wedding etiquette. The PCPC Wedding Coordinator must approve the photographer, videographer and florist. Signed policy agreements must be on file in her office one month prior to the wedding.
The Marriage License
You will need to obtain your marriage license and present it to the minister just prior to the rehearsal. In Dallas, both bride and groom must appear at the Dallas County Clerk’s office and both present proper identification (a valid driver’s license, passport, birth certificate or military identification) and must also provide their social security numbers and $71.00 (payable in cash only). There is a legally required 72-hour waiting period between the issuance of a license and the wedding, and the wedding is to be within 30 days. For details, call 214-653-7559.
There are three Dallas offices:
- Downtown Records Building at 501 Main Street, Dallas, TX (map)
214-653-7559 - 10056 Marsh Lane, Suite 137, Dallas, TX (map)
214-904-3032 - 3443 St. Francis, Dallas, TX (map)
214-321-3182
They are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Program
Whether or not a formal program is printed, the officiating minister must approve the final Order of Service. Your Order of Service will include scripture readings, music and the homily. Prior to this final approval, all details should be completed with the PCPC Wedding Coordinator and the Organist. To respect the fact that your ceremony is a service of worship, please communicate the following suggestion to your bridal party and guests, and/or include this in your printed wedding program: “Please have all communication devices in silent mode. Also, please refrain from flash photography, videography and/or texting during the ceremony. Thank you.”
The Music
The PCPC Wedding Coordinator will direct you in contacting the Organist following your first wedding consultation. He will meet with you and assist you in making decisions about music for your wedding. Any outside musicians must be approved by the Department of Music and Arts before you hire them. You are responsible for paying any outside musicians. The Organist or Director of Music will play or provide an organist for all weddings unless he has approved other arrangements.
Music for your wedding ceremony
The Music and Arts Ministry of Park Cities Presbyterian Church extends congratulations and best wishes to you both on your upcoming wedding. Your wedding ceremony, like your future marriage, will reflect the relationship between Christ and His bride, the church. When considering the music for your wedding, please keep in mind the sacred nature of the occasion. In general, if a musical piece is appropriate for Sunday morning worship, it is most likely appropriate for a wedding also.
Please take some time to review the guidelines that follow. Links to the order of service template and recorded excerpts of musical selections appropriate to various parts of the service are provided below.
We are available to assist you to the best of our ability. We look forward to helping you make your wedding music beautiful, joyful, and glorifying to God.
The Music and Arts Ministry
Park Cities Presbyterian Church
Selecting Instrumental Music
There are several places in the order of service where music is required: the prelude, the seating of the families of the bride and groom, the bridesmaids’ procession, the bride’s entrance and procession, and finally the recession of the entire wedding party at the end of the service. A postlude may be necessary if the piece for the recession is brief.
A list of specific musical selections ideal for various parts of the service may be found here. View this list as a starting point: it is certainly not exhaustive. We will be glad to discuss these and other possibilities with you when we meet in person.
If you desire, you are welcome to hire outside musicians (e.g. a string quartet, a trumpet player, or a vocalist) but please refrain from doing so until after you meet with the organist. We must approve any outside musicians before they are hired.
Please note: we are not able to accommodate requests for recorded music during the ceremony.
Selecting Vocal Music
A marriage ceremony is a service of worship. Therefore, the texts of solos and hymns should be sacred, and appropriate to the nature of the occasion.
Congregational Singing
Congregational singing is encouraged. When selecting hymns, keep in mind what the congregation is likely to know and be able to sing well. The Trinity Hymnal is available for use in the sanctuary and the chapel.
Please note that the texts of some contemporary hymns or songs (In Christ Alone, How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, for example) are not found in the Trinity Hymnal. If a hymn is not in the hymnal, you must provide the words for the congregation. The most common means of providing any hymn texts needed is to include them in the program, whether printed or as an insert.
Solo Vocalists
As many as two or three solos are appropriate, if desired, but are not necessary.
We encourage everyone to find qualified soloists for their wedding. Please be very careful when asking people to sing, especially where close friendships are concerned. We have many excellent soloists available and will gladly give you suggestions and guidance.
The Order of Service
Download the Order of Service Worksheet
The Reception
Guidelines for Receptions at PCPC
All requests for receptions at PCPC must first be approved through the PCPC Wedding Coordinator.
Our church caterer, “Festive Kitchen,” is available to help you with your reception and/or special event needs. If you are interested in their services, please contact them via phone at 214-763-9544 or via email.
For more detail regarding receptions at PCPC, please contact the PCPC Wedding Coordinator, Candie Carver.
Audio Recording
Sound equipment and a sound technician are provided by the church to properly place microphones. The PCPC church policy requires that the system be operated by a sound technician in the church’s employ. The sound technician will provide you with a complimentary audio of your wedding ceremony.