Community› Local Wedding Boards› New Jersey
New Jersey
New Discussion
Options

Church - Non Member

cinderella+redcinderella+red member
First Comment First Anniversary
in New Jersey
Hi,

We can't have our ceremony at the church where I grew up because it is too small - so I called another local church and they were willing to let my minister officiate and I was all excited - until I saw the price tag.  $1000 ....... and then I'd still have to give my minister a gift for performing the ceremony.  $1000 is just to use this other church.

Is that par for the course in NJ?
Wedding Countdown Ticker
Report Reply to Post

Re: Church - Non Member

  • Options
    tiptoes77tiptoes77 member
    First Comment
    That is pretty expensive. I think non member at my church was only 100 more than member. We are paying 500 for church, music, singer etc.
    Report Reply
  • Options
    Lobsters25Lobsters25 member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Comment
    We're paying near that, and were quoted everywhere from 750-1500.  Thankfully ours includes the 'discrentionary fund' for the priest.
    Anniversary
    Report Reply
  • Options
    SilverfirecSilverfirec
    First Comment
    We are paying 1,000 and it's my own church.
    Report Reply
  • Options
    jess4xo3jess4xo3
    First Comment First Anniversary
    We are paying 1K as well. I think thats the norm.  This includes music though.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    Report Reply
  • Options
    cinderella+redcinderella+red member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    Music is included in that fee - no singers - just an organist - for $275.  So I'm thinking we hook up an iPod to their speaker system and load some classical music, call it a day.

    That would bring it down to $725.  Still total sticker shock.

    And we still need to pay our own minister.


    Wedding Countdown Ticker
    Report Reply
  • Options
    jcg98jcg98 member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_church-non-member?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:90Discussion:73a67948-c150-4bd9-a217-06c374bf5f7dPost:ee9c2297-cefb-4f40-be58-6273c71148bd">Re: Church - Non Member</a>:
    [QUOTE]Music is included in that fee - no singers - just an organist - for $275.  So I'm thinking we hook up an iPod to their speaker system and load some classical music, call it a day. That would bring it down to $725.  Still total sticker shock. And we still need to pay our own minister.
    Posted by cinderella+red[/QUOTE]

    You might want to double check that you can waive the organist fee.  Some churches require you to pay it whether or not you use the organist.

    Our church fee was $300, priest included, organist fee was an extra $175.  It was actually my mother's home parish.  I looked at another church that would have been $1250 with nothing included.
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic 
      
    Report Reply
  • Options
    mrsgonzo12mrsgonzo12
    First Comment
    Yeah, we couldn't get rid of the organist even though we wanted to. Our fees all together were about $1000 for being members of the church.
    Photobucket

    Follow Me on Pinterest
    Report Reply
  • Options
    jcg98jcg98 member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary Name Dropper First Comment
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_new-jersey_church-non-member?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:90Discussion:73a67948-c150-4bd9-a217-06c374bf5f7dPost:c72fe044-7dee-4a8d-9369-3908e3cc1a39">Re: Church - Non Member</a>:
    [QUOTE]Yeah, we couldn't get rid of the organist even though we wanted to. Our fees all together were about $1000 for being members of the church.
    Posted by mrsgonzo12[/QUOTE]

    That's actually why we didn't use our own home church.  The fee for the music director would have been $250, and on top of that we would have had to pay him $50 for each additional musician we hired.  Since we were bringing in a brass quintet, two singers, and another pianist, that would have been a ridiculous amount of money. 

    But that church was unusual, most of them have a bench fee around $150 which isn't bad.  I know it's a pain when you don't want to use the organist, or want to bring in your own, but it's how churches guarantee income to organists.
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic 
      
    Report Reply
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards