Guidelines for Photography and Videography

The wedding ceremony is a worship service, and all photographers and videographers are asked to revere the ceremony and the sanctuary. They are required to adhere to all guidelines. Please make copies of these guidelines for yourself and for your photographer and videographer. Vendors may also be directed to the church website where these policies are found.

The Schedule

The total allotted time for the ceremony (including pictures and takedown) is 4 hours, beginning 2 hours before the stated start time. Additional time must be arranged for at least 1 month before the ceremony (3 months if a holiday weekend), and is billed at $45/hour ($30/hour for the church and $15/hour for the custodian). Keep in mind that the heating or air-conditioning does not go on in the church until the allotted time slot. That means if you are taking photos before the ceremony, you may want to arrange and pay for additional time.

Church Policies

  1. Photographers and videographers are asked to be as unobtrusive and quiet as possible.
  2. Photographers may take pictures before and after the service in any part of the building.
  3. Once the music begins, flash pictures are only allowed during the processional and recessional. For the processional the photographer may be in the church no more than four rows in front of the back balcony, and must leave once the processional is complete. No flash photography is allowed again until the recessional. Photography should not delay the processional or recessional
  4. During the ceremony, photographs without flash are permitted from the balconies or the narthex.
  5. Videos should be shot from the balcony or an unstaffed camera may be placed at the corner of the transept. Please discuss videos ahead of time with the wedding coordinator.
  6. No food or drinks other than bottled water are allowed in the sanctuary.
  7. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on church property.
  8. Central is not responsible for any vendor equipment in the church during the wedding or left in the church after the wedding.

Avoiding guests taking photos: If you do not want guests to take pictures during the service, we suggest placing a note in the program saying something such as: “We want you to enjoy our service. A professional photographer is taking photos and will be posting them. So please, do not take photos of your own during the service.”