Wedding/Baby Shower Policy

Qualifications

  • Active membership in the church
  • Approved by pastoral staff
  • One wedding shower for each family
  • One baby shower for the first child
  • Showers for live-in couples, divorce-and-remarriage situations, or other questionable reasons will require pastoral staff approval.

Church Responsibility

  • The church will provide one cake, punch/drinks, and paper goods (plates, silverware, and cups) per shower
  • All expenses for the above will need prior written approval from pastoral staff.

Procedure

  • Find an open date on the calendar
  • Choose a venue for the shower
    • If using church facilities, please refer to the Kitchen Policy and Building Rules.
    • Cleaning, both before and after, is the responsibility of the team that puts on the shower.
  • Set an agenda and budget for the shower
  • Build a team that will be responsible for set up, cooking, serving, hosting (games, activities, etc.), and clean up.
  • Present the date(s), agenda, team, budget, and venue to the pastoral staff at least four weeks prior to the shower.
  • Begin coordinating the shower with the bride/mother-to-be and the team after approval

Coordination

  • Decorate the shower in the baby's room/wedding colors that the honoree has selected.
  • Plan the menu to be served, taking into account the honoree’s requests, if any.
  • Mail out invitations/letters to the honoree's family and friends outside of the church 2 weeks in advance.
  • Send an announcement to the office that will be used during services 2 weeks in advance, encouraging the church to attend.
  • On the day of the shower, make sure all set up and decorations are in place prior to guest arrival
  • Make sure all food is at the shower, ready to serve, at the right temperature, at the time specified.
  • Make sure trash receptacles are available.  Empty full trash receptacles immediately.
  • Keep a steady flow throughout the shower, making sure the honoree and their guests are served first.
  • When the shower is over, make sure the venue is cleaned immediately, tables and chairs are back in their original place, and the room(s) are ready for the next event.
  • All full trash bags should be taken to the dumpster immediately.
  • All excess food/drinks should be given to the honoree or sent with guests.
In case of a medical emergency, please call 911 immediately.  First aid kits are available in each building.  Should something other than a medical emergency occur, and you feel that the safety of those in attendance is at risk, please call the police and pastoral staff immediately for further direction. Immediately after any emergency, please fill out an Incident Report Form and deliver it to pastoral staff within 24 hours.