Weddings At Woodlands

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! We know this is an incredibly important day for you, and we are honored and thankful that you are seeking to include us, your local church.

Weddings at Woodlands are available to regular attenders and members of our congregation. We generally do not host weddings for couples who are not connected to Woodlands Church in Plover, Wisconsin. At the same time, we believe firmly that God has deep desire and love for your upcoming marriage, and as such, we hope to be included and involved.

At Woodlands Church our purpose is to help people faithfully follow Jesus. We value life-long spiritual growth. Our church priorities say: “We aspire to be a community where everyone is growing in their knowledge of, trust in, dependence on, and obedience to Jesus. He is Lord, and calls us to live surrendered to Him, so we will help people pursue spiritual growth in all of life, for all of life. To facilitate spiritual growth in our community we will coach people to walk with Jesus…”

We believe how you begin your marriage is a significant step in your spiritual life. Your knowledge of Jesus, dependence on Jesus and obedience to Jesus during this season is important. Pursue faithfulness to Jesus during your engagement so that you can begin your marriage on a solid foundation, and build from there.

We believe God wants us to help form Christian marriages, not just to perform weddings. To be true to our values, here’s our official policy:

• • We believe God Himself has ordained marriage, and claims Lordship over it. He has defined it as a covenant relationship between a man, a woman, and Himself (Matt 19:4-6). Woodlands Church only recognizes marriages between a biological man and a biological woman. The staff of Woodlands Church will only participate and solemnize weddings and marriages between one man and one woman, and the facilities and property of Woodlands Church will only be used to host weddings between one man and one woman.
  • We believe God has given sex as a good gift to a husband and wife. As part of this understanding, we expect those we are marrying to make a commitment to refrain from sex until marriage. The Bible teaches that sex outside of marriage is a sin, and we expect that you will pursue obedience of Jesus in this area of your life – as in every area of your life! In grace, we understand the struggles some couples have in their pursuit of purity – we understand you may have failed in that pursuit – and we will be supportive and encouraging as you are repentant and seeking righteousness.
  • We believe marriage is a sacred covenant in the eyes of God. As such, we would want to understand the circumstances of any previous marriages. We know that every relationship is unique, and that individuals come into marriage with complex backstories. If you have been through a divorce, we will want to understand your story. We acknowledge the realities of divorce, but will also seek to prioritize the sanctity of marriage as spoken of in Scripture. We celebrate God’s redemptive work in people’s lives while simultaneously holding to our belief that God’s Word is our ultimate authority and that it does speak pointedly about divorce and remarriage. 
  • We require premarital counseling for couples preparing to get married. The content and means will vary, and is left to the discretion of the officiant. Ultimately, the purpose of premarital counseling is that each couple should understand the biblical purpose of marriage and be given tools and encouragement for navigating marriage. We believe that effort must be put into preparation for marriage, not just preparation for the wedding. 

In filling out your application for a Wedding at Woodlands, you’ll be agreeing with these requirements. Our ultimate hope is to prepare you well for a marriage of fulfillment and goodness – as envisioned by God – for His glory, and for your good! 

The staff of Woodlands Church will only participate in weddings that they discern are built on the foundation of biblical truths and obedience to King Jesus, demonstrated in part through agreement with the values expressed above. Where there might be doubt or confusion, we will trust the discernment of the elders.

Costs: We know weddings are expensive! We don’t want costs to prohibit you from including  your church as a part of your wedding and as a part of the foundation of your marriage. Therefore, we do not charge for the use of our building (room rental fee, table and chair rental, heating, cooling, etc.). We do compensate three individuals who are necessary to host a wedding at Woodlands:

1. Wedding Coordinator: The Wedding Coordinator will aid in the planning and execution of weddings. Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, the initial interview, communication of wedding policies and expenses, and coordination and completion of decorating, rehearsal and wedding day events. She will provide information about weddings and will assist in recommended services (including sound technicians from the church) and outside services (including florists, printers, photographers/ videographers, caterers, and musicians). The Wedding Coordinator will supervise and work with each of these individuals, as well as the appropriate church staff, committees, officers and leaders in order to coordinate all details of the wedding. She will also provide a “presence” for the church in the building during the day of the rehearsal and the wedding, and be the “contact person” for the church for all wedding details. (Use of the Wedding Coordinator above and beyond the “duties” listed here will require additional fees, to be determined on hours of work involved.)
2. Audio and Media Technician: A church-trained tech support person will be provided for your rehearsal and wedding ceremony. (Any use of the sound system above and beyond “normal” use may require additional fees. Our tech support person and use of our equipment for your reception is not provided.)
3. Custodian: It is expected that the church building will be left in “good order” after the wedding. The family is responsible to pick up and remove all decorations. All trash should be contained in provided garbage cans. The family is not expected to clean or restock any areas.  (The Custodian will determine the standard of cleanliness. Excessive clean- up required on the part of the Custodian will require an extra fee at the rate of $25/hour.)

The 2025 standard fees (used only to compensate the people mentioned previously) are: 

• • Wedding ceremony only (includes time to decorate, a rehearsal (generally the day before the wedding), space to get dressed and take pictures, and the wedding ceremony) – $700
  • Wedding ceremony (see description above) + Reception (event after the ceremony such as food, entertainment, dancing) – $1125
  • Rehearsal dinner (generally the day before the wedding) – $100

Prices will increase for 2026 weddings to:

• • Ceremony: $725
  • Ceremony + Reception: $1150
  • Rehearsal dinner: $125

Additional fees may be incurred for use of services or areas of the church beyond “normal.” Should any damage be done to the building and/or its contents, the cost of repair and/or replacement will also be incurred.

A $100 “deposit” must be paid at the time the wedding is booked on the church calendar. The remainder of the fees must be paid one month prior to the date of the wedding. Checks should be made payable to Woodlands Church, with “wedding fee” noted in the memo section of the check.

If you reserve Woodlands for your ceremony, you will be able to use:

• • Dressing rooms for the women (generally 501, 503, and/or 505)
  • Dressing rooms for the men (generally 310, 308 and/or 306)
  • The Chapel for the ceremony (seats 350)
  • The Chapel Foyer for greeting guests
  • Indoor or outdoor spaces for pictures

If you reserve Woodlands for your reception, we recommend:

• • The Gym (seats around 250)  OR 
  • The Coffee Hub Foyer (seats around 150) 

(Your Wedding Coordinator will discuss your needs and which space would be best.)

If you reserve Woodlands for your rehearsal dinner, we recommend:

• • The Coffee Hub Foyer. This space contains tables and chairs that you could use for your event.

Additional fees may be incurred for use of areas of the church beyond “normal” or for setup/cleanup beyond “normal.”

Tech for your Event:

• • Our dedicated tech support person will manage all sound and slide presentations for your Wedding Ceremony and Rehearsal.
  • Any slideshows intended for display during the ceremony must be provided in the format specified by the Sound Technician and submitted no later than two weeks prior to your wedding date.
  • If you plan to have a DJ or band provide music for your Wedding Reception, they must supply their own sound equipment.

Other expectations:

• • Only “licensed” caterers will be allowed use of the building.
  • No alcoholic beverages are permitted in the building or on the church grounds.
  • Behavior appropriate to a place of worship will be expected of all participants.
  • We request that your event is finished and you are out of the building by 10:00 pm on a Saturday night.
  • All aspects of the Building Usage Policy will be followed.

If you would like to proceed, please fill out a Wedding Application. After you return this confidential application to our office, our Family Pastor will review it. Please allow 2 weeks for this process. After initial review, we will connect you with a potential Officiant and after that you will be assigned a Wedding Coordinator. 

Thanks for reading through all these details. It is essential for everyone to be on the same page regarding both underlying values of marriage and weddings and also regarding the details surrounding your big day. 

Your life-long relationship with Jesus is really important to us! God will use your marriage to grow you and change you. God will use you and your spouse in each other’s lives in profound ways. We are privileged to walk along with you!