Wedding Average cost of church ceremony?

[idreamofcushions]

If you''re having a church ceremony, would you mind sharing the type of church (cathedral, chapel, etc) and the associated costs?

I''m guessing the more elaborate the church, the higher the price.

The reason I''m asking... FI and I are getting married in his parents hometown so aren''t members of a church there. We are considering the chapel at his parents church which is pretty, but small and simple. The cost is around $1000.

I''ve been searching online for some other churches in the area and fell IN LOVE with another church. It''s beautiful. I called the coordinator yesterday but she''s out of town. I''m thinking this one will be VERY costly so I''m trying not to get my hopes up.

 

[lucyandroger]

Ours will be $525 at a smallish Catholic church in the suburbs of DC. This includes the donation to the church, a wedding coordinator, music, and altar servers.

 

[ladypirate]

A lot of times at larger/fancier churches you have to be a member of the church to get married there (at least in my experience). Good luck, though!

 

[meresal]

One church we looked at for a Saturday night was $1200. My home church, which we used, was $900 (incl. donation and minister "fee")

ETA: My home church, which is a large historic methodist church, only allows members to marry there. I would email the contacts at any church you are interested in, to find out the regulations and the rates for different days and times.

 

[lucyandroger]

Just remembered a couple outrageously expensive (to us anyway) churches we looked at in DC before we moved to the parish where we'll be married. One is a big historic chapel and it cost $1200 for use of the church, $500 for the minister, and an additional $400 for a mandatory wedding coordinator (music/ use of the organ would have been extra). The other one was a small historic Lutheran church (in ritzy area) that charged $1000 for use of the church, $700 for the minister fee, and $250 for music director.

ETA - These didn't require that you be members of the church. I'm sure people who are members get much better rates.

 

[meresal]

Date: 10/14/2009 12:43:02 PM
Author: lucyandroger

ETA - These didn''t require that you be members of the church. I''m sure people who are members get much better rates.

From what I experienced, it wasn''t the rates that were better for members. More like the "options". The church put restrictions on when you can choose your date if you aren''t a member.

Ex. If you are a member you can pick a date whenever you want. Whether it be 3 months away or 3 years away... however, if you weren''t a member, you couldn''t pick a date more than 6 months in the future (If you want to get married June 15,2010... you would have to wait and see if it is still open on Jan 15, 2010). One church was even 4 months! Both of those options made planning with vendors almost entirly impossible, so it was ruled out immediately for us, on both accounts.

 

[laughwithme]

Our church, whether member or not, is about $1,200. Members can use up to $400 of previous church donations, and deduct from this amount.

Although the $1,200 is kinda high IMO, it includes a 6-week req''d premarital class, a wedding coordinator assigned to your wedding, a musician including two consultations with her, and of course the fee for the pastor, etc.

Oh, and our church is a Methodist church and the chapel holds about 250 people.

 

[violet3]

Meresal''s estimates sound about like my experience with churches. I priced out two churches when i was looking. My own church was around $1100 and that''s what we are going with. it''s a small episcopal church/chapel and i think the fees include minister/church donation/organist. The Presbetyrian (sp) church in my town was $900. Honestly, I was slightly suprised at how high the prices were in general in my area.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Our very small Catholic Church was a $250 required donation. We did not use the chuch suggested musicians. I know there was an additional fee if we did but I do not remember how much.

 

[CNYHopeful]

Wow, I think it really depends upon the location where you''re getting married in.

Cost of reserving our church is $150, plus about $150 per priest (we''re having 2 priest friends concelebrate our wedding).
Flowers are optional (we''re doing 2 $45 arrangements) and our friends are doing the music.

Grand total $540. If we had one priest and chose not to do the flowers, it would have been $300.

But if the churches are in a larger urban area like DC or NYC, the fee would be much higher I''d presume.

 

[idreamofcushions]

Thanks for the feedback!

I was hoping nobody would say something like $3000 (which is kinda what I was thinking this church would be!)

It's located in Naples, which is a VERY ritzy city and the church is located in a ritzy nieghborhood too. But we shall see. Fingers crossed!

Meresol: That's absolutely crazy about the non-members having to wait to book til 4 months out! I'm hoping this church doesn't have any rules like that. But now I'll be sure to ask about it! Thx

 

[Nov2109]

From my understanding you have to be a member of a catholic church for 1 year (sometimes they make exceptions if youve relocated).

My home parish has two churches the main church(which i despise, it cost 5 million dollars to build 10 years ago and I refused to get married there because it is cold and 3 stories high!) and a summer chapel on the river which is over 100 years old and is very intimate.

They have the same "fee" structure. $500 facility fee, $200 for the organist, $175 for the cantor and then they want a donation on top of it, which they will not get because they are charging 500 for an hour already!

My church does not allow non members to get married there, but non-denominiation churches are much different. I think it varies from church to church.

 

[purselover]

Wow we lucked out we''re getting married at a college chapel, (but really it''s a huge cathedral) and it was free b/c FI''s an alum but usually it''s only $200, and the judge officiating is $200.