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About Reserving Meeting Space About Reserving a Wedding

Thank you for your interest in planning your wedding at Arlington Street Church. Arlington Street Church is an incredibly active Unitarian Universalist [about] congregation with a full schedule of events. The members of the congregation are blessed with a beautiful structure which must be preserved and maintained in such a manner that honors its rich history. We make every effort to accommodate requests for the use of our space and gladly share our building with many outside groups and organizations. There have been exceptional demands placed upon our facilities as our own use and that of outside groups has increased dramatically in the past few years. In our continuing effort to preserve our building, its furnishings, and grounds, we ask that all who use our building honor the policies and guidelines outlined in the following pages.

• Arlington Street Church provides space for the celebration of weddings and services of commitment, but does not dictate the specific content of these services. We can provide you with contact information for available clergy, if you do not have a minister of your own. It is not, however, the responsibility of ASC to find a minister for any ceremony.

• All weddings at ASC must, however, be conducted by one of the church's ministers, or by a guest clergyperson approved in advance by ASC.

• All requests to reserve space in the church for the wedding, rehearsal, and reception dates must be made through the Facilities Manager.

Process:

1. To begin the process, please contact Jeffrey Bouchard, our Facilities Manager, at 617-536-7050, ext. 14 or JBouchard@ASCBoston.org. You may arrange a visit to see the available space, usually guided by Jeffrey. At this visit, you can discuss available dates and times.
2. If you wish to reserve the space, please print, complete, and mail the application and agreement forms (links below). These forms should be mailed to Jeffrey Bouchard at 351 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.
3. Jeffrey will provide a written confirmation of your reservation upon receiving your completed application, a signed building usage agreement, and a deposit for one-half the amount of your total rental.

FEES:

Fees are for any part of four hours. For rentals over four hours, additional fees may apply. Access for decorating must be included within the allotted time. If additional time for substantial decorating is required, advance arrangements with the Facilities Manager will need to be negotiated regarding scheduling and fees. The sexton (custodian) is present to open and close the doors and monitor heating and security, but not to set-up or clean-up wedding materials. Time for a rehearsal is included in the rental fee-please arrange for the rehearsal to occur within a week of the ceremony. (Please note that because of the Church's schedule, rehearsals cannot always be held the day or night before the ceremony.) Only the spaces agreed to in the contract may be used by the wedding party. Wedding fees do not cover the rental of the entire church building, but only individual spaces within the church. Other activities may be taking place concurrently in the building and in the church yard.

Personnel:

Ministers

Wedding fee - honorarium amount determined by each minister.

Music

Organist for a Wedding Ceremony: $400 (includes a one-hour consultation with couple)
Rehearsal: $100
Guest organist fee: $75

Organ music for weddings at the church is provided by the ASC organist, Branden Grimmett [about | e-mail]. If you prefer to engage a guest organist, you must apply in writing to the ASC organist, enclosing a resume of the guest organist, at least six weeks before the ceremony. If a guest organist is approved, the ASC organist will be paid a bench fee of $75 for instructing the guest organist on the use of the instrument.

If you would like additional music or solo musicians during the ceremony, Arlington Street Church’s organist is available to serve as music coordinator for a fee. This service provides for arranging and rehearsing with other musicians. This fee is negotiable. Otherwise, you are permitted to engage other instrumentalists at will.

For questions, please contact Branden directly at: BGrimmett@ASCBoston.org.

Sexton

A minimum fee of $250 for the first four hours (rehearsal and ceremony combined), and $50 for each additional hour or part thereof. On a public holiday, the sexton will be paid $400 for the first three hours and $125 for each additional hour or part thereof.

Others (Florist, caterer, etc.)

ASC does not provide or recommend any particular floral or catering services. However, please make sure that the companies you choose are in touch with our Facilities Manager to coordinate access to the building. Please note that church office hours are Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (closed on Fridays June – August).

Payment of Fees:

Facilities

A deposit of one-half the total rental fee shall be paid upon the initial reservation. The remainder of the total fee must be paid two months before the wedding takes place. No reservation will be confirmed until the deposit is received. All checks should be made payable to: "Arlington Street Church." The church is also equipped to receive payment through MasterCard and Visa. If the remainder is not received two months before the event, the date will be forfeited.

Personnel

For the services of personnel, checks should be made out to the individual(s) engaged-the minister(s), organist, and other musicians. All personnel fees shall be paid one month in advance of the event, either in person or mailed to the church office.

Cancellations

If notice of cancellation is given more than 180 days in advance of the ceremony date, the total fee, less a $500 cancellation fee, will be returned. For cancellations within six months of the scheduled ceremony, no refund will be given.

Other Details

ASC does not own a runner for the main aisle of the Sanctuary, though your florists can provide one. The length of the aisle is 125 feet.

ASC does not have any air conditioning and can be uncomfortable in the warmer months.

Ringing the Bells

ASC can ring the steeple bells for your wedding for an additional cost of $100.

BUILDING USAGE AGREEMENT

Please read over carefully, and discuss any questions with the Facilities Manager.

General Rules for Ceremonies:

• All weddings at ASC must be conducted by one of the church's ministers, or by a guest clergyperson approved in advance by ASC.
• Photographs during the service are permissible. If so desired, the wedding party may pose for pictures in the church prior to or after the service, but must finish within the total allotted time and space.
• There is no space at the church for personal preparation before ceremonies-i.e. dressing, makeup, etc. All participants in the ceremony must arrive at the church dressed and ready for the ceremony.
• There is no alcohol or smoking permitted inside the church.
• There must be full compliance with the access hours and spaces agreed to in the Application and Contract.
• No food or beverages are allowed in the sanctuary.
• The use of confetti, birdseed, rice, or balloon or butterfly releases are not permitted.
• Parking is not permitted on church grounds.
• There must be full compliance with the General Rules for Decorations, as follows:

1. The use of flowers to decorate the Sanctuary is permitted.
2. If you wish to leave flowers for our use on Sunday, this is much appreciated.
3. The use of candles to light the Sanctuary is permitted within very strict guidelines. Two standing candelabras are available for use, but you must provide your own candles (14 candles total). You are also responsible for having someone light, extinguish, and remove all candles. Only smokeless, dripless candles are permitted, and all candles must be placed on protective coverings to catch any unforeseen wax drippings.
4. No thumb tacks, nails, or adhesive of any kind may be used in decorating the Sanctuary. Any florist can provide appropriate hangers. Nothing may be attached to fabric-covered surfaces.
5. All decorations and rubbish must be removed immediately following the ceremony.

Wedding/Commitment Ceremony Application & Building Usage Agreement (PDF)

This page last updated Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 1:26 PM.