Christian Brides

[yuene]

*hits handsomegroom over the head* Cannot read huh?!?! For BRIDES!!! SHoo!!!

Just kidding, come on in and join us in the discussions! And please post up your wedding details, so that we can add them to the table =) Anyway, what kind of songs are you looking for? The slightly more traditional kinds of hymns or more contemporary songs? I'm using 'Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee' for the first and 'Love Divine All Loves Excelling' for the second. And like what wedding_girl says, it should be meaningful to you two; for me the first was the opening hymn for the ceremony that I was the flower girl for, so it's always been stuck in my memory.

wedding_girl: sorry for not replying your email for so long! Been so tied up with reading =( School SUCKS, period

 

[wedding_girl]

sharon, no worries, take your time. these few weeks have been really busy for me, since i came back.
no no, school isn't all that bad, really... especially after you start work.

i think all working people will tell you that.

 

[mehmeh_lim]

hi ribbons,

how's ur toe doing?? *hugs* Pray tt u wld be healed & regain ur 'freedom' soon!!

hi handsome groom,

hmm.. can think along the lines of thanksgiving, or songs which have been derived fr ur theme verse for the wedding?? may also want to have a mix of chinese & english songs if u wld like to have any chinese-speaking guests (esp, pre-believers) to know of God's gdness proxy the lyrics

hi jiaqi,

the verse usually inc in the invite wld be the theme verse for the weddign/marriage.. maybe u & ur FH can take time to meditate & pray for God to reveal to u two

 

[summerice]

Sharon i am also thinking of using joyful joyful we adore thee...but i feel that its too long if we sing the whole song. Are you going to sing the whole song?

Hmmm i think for hymns i will have both languages so if anyone wants to sing in chinese they can join in.

 

[ewwgetoffme]

hi all ahhhh i sprained my left thumb ever so slightly and i have to play the piano for evening service on sunday!!! please keep me in prayers :S

since we're on the topic of hymns, anyone else is keen to share on what songs they'll be using?

i believe i'm going to use 'Thanks to God' (you can take a look at the lyrics here: http://www.hymns.me.uk/thanks-to-god-hymn.htm) and 'The Love of God' (http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/o/loveofgo.htm). Should be marching out to 'Praise the Lord Ye Heavens Adore Him' (http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/p/t/pthelyeh.htm, using one of the alternate tunes - Hyfrydol)

how about the rest of you?

 

[tryphena]

Blessed Lunar New Year to all....

hi handsomegroom, welcum into the thread. My wedding was just over last month. We chose 2 english and 1 chinese, we set a theme for our wedding which is evangelistic as this is our church vision for the year 2007. I feel that in order to choose songs, select those that means close to your theme.

hi jiaqi, we chose Psalm 117:2 for our invitation card and our pastor used the whole chapter which is only 2 verse for the sermon, as this speaks of the Praise be to God.

 

[chendol]

Hi Lydia,

What a coincidence! I'll be starting with Forever (hillsongs?), then The Love of God for the front part of the service, and Thanks to God as the closing hymn.

I also like Love Divine all loves excelling, but not familiar to FH, so not included.

 

[summerice]

Jazol hows the food n service of ur caterer? is it rasel?

 

[ewwgetoffme]

twinkle: wow what a coincidence!

but all my songs not confirmed lei haha boyfriend like want to change 'The Love of God' to 'How Great Thou Art'. but must wait and see nearer to the date how we want to arrange... so far only confirm with him our processional and recessional songs, 'And Can It Be That I Should Gain' and 'Praise the Lord Ye Heavens Adore Him' respectively. So excited! XD Wedding has been pushed in front a bit more to 1 Nov instead of 22 Nov because we want to make sure our overseas missionary relatives can make it. haha XD yay~ but okay lah it's in 2008 so still a long while

 

[chendol]

yah it's still a long way! enjoy the build-up, gal...

I love the lyrics of The Love of God. Esp this verse:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

 

[ewwgetoffme]

ya hahaa i also like that stanza a lot, it was a jewish poem originally i think. there are a few literary pieces based on that poem but The Love of God is the only hymn

614 days away, according to the auto calculator XD

 

[sandsand]

for us, the verse we used was "And the two shall become one" cos with our marriage would signify two coming together, two families, two churches.. and we two were very individual when we werent married yet.

hey mehmeh..... will not regain freedom for another 3 more weeks. Dr has removed my backslab (temporary one) and put me in a cast... the hard kind... wanna sign? haha.... told my church friends to get their markers ready to sign on sunday.. haha... but they've given me a cast shoe liao, so i can bear A BIT of weight on it..... thanks for asking dearie...

 

[chendol]

Hi everyone,

my overseas friends are asking whether I have a wedding gift registry.

I set up one on Amazon.com weddings, figuring that they do deliver to Singapore, but recently those who went said that they don't deliver the items they wanted to choose to Singapore. rats.

I've tried asking around Robinsons and Ikea but they don't have such a service. anyone else knows any shop in Singapore who does that? In the UK and US it seems like every other shop does gift registries... and overseas ppl usually don't like giving ang pows cos it's impersonal to them.

 

[coco_mybibi]

hello sisters,

i need a big favour from you all. 2 months later will be my wedding and I have not done any preparation for my church wedding yet. I just transfered my membership to another church and therefore I don't know anyone in the church yet. I have already found a church for my wedding but I am not sure how to begin with the preparation. How should the order of service be like? I like to include the communion and unity candle but are these 2 symbolise the same thing? I am lost about the music and I am really lost. Help pls cos I am stress out. thanks.

 

[summerice]

coco u can ask the admin ppl in church who is the one who handle wedding. Do they have samples program for u to follow. Coz some of them have to follow the whole procedure the only difference is u just have to pick hymns n scripture.

Check with the new church first.

 

[coco_mybibi]

hi summerice,

I did check with my pastor and she said the program schedule is up to me. I am not sure how can i put everything together as a booklet etc for my guests. Am not sure where can i source for the songs.

not sure some of the definition, can advice me?
music predule = music played while guests seated
processional = bride march in
recessional = couple march out
benediction??
exhortation = preaching?

 

[chendol]

Benediction is like a blessing that the minister will say before the recessional. It is commonly given at the end of a normal sunday church service too.

Yes the exhortation, or homily, is a short sermon.

 

[yuene]

Hey SummerIce, we'll be singing the whole song. I'll just get my organist to play a little faster

 

[sandsand]

coco, ur definition is correct.... benediction can include grace for food that follows later also if u want.

 

[tryphena]

hi summerice, yes my caterer is rasel and the service and food was good.

coco, if u wan i cn email you my order of service?

 

[mehmeh_lim]

hi ribbons,

*hugshugs* nvm, at least u can still go work.. otherwise, wow, ur table's really going to look like a mountain!

hi coco,

u can include the lighting of the unity candle and communion.. do check with ur Pastor on this. usually this wld take place before/after the first family prayer.. i can't recall the order for this

what songs are u referring to?

 

[sandsand]

some churches practice family prayer, but some dont.. dont know why..

coco, ur pastor who is doing the solmenization, when u meet up with him, he should have a standard program and will be most willing to advise u on order of service..

 

[coco_mybibi]

hi jazol,
yes pls, can send to [email protected]

hi mehmeh,
my pastor is very busy, hard to catch her. but she did ask me to source for music prelude and worship songs.

hi ribbons,
can send me your church invite? need a sample to see how to create it. did you print your church program for your guests from Malaysia too? can share with me too?

thanks alot sisters.

 

[sandsand]

coco, i dont know where i keep the soft copy of my invites liao.. let me go look for it, but the wordings, we look at other pple's invites and merely improvise.. i will look for it..

i didnt have program sheets.. i used power point.. =)

 

[coco_mybibi]

hi ribbons,
so that means, you have all the things being projected with a projector and laptop? do you mind to share with me?

 

[handsomegroom]

Hi and thanks to all who have responded.

Will take note of the points raised. Still searching though, still a long way to go.

Anyone has any recommendation of good caterers? Which are the most popular ones?

God bless all marriage preparations.

 

[bb_queen]

Hi all

1. May I check for those brides who had real wedding cake for the church wedding, won't your cake melt when you cut the cake after the ceremony?

2. Is Krist*n good? (why don't they allow the complete name in the forum?)

3. What would be needed for a church wedding deco besides flowers along the pews? Can someone pls send me one or two pictures to see how a church deco should look like because I haven't attended a church wedding for years. How much should I set aside for a reasonably nice deco? Who would you recommend?

Thanks. My email addy is [email protected]

 

[sandsand]

coco, cos my church already has a screen and a projector for normal sunday use, so we just prepare the power point lor. Sorry i dont have the soft copy with me, my cell member did everything for us.

All that was projected worship, order of service, thanksgiving and phototaking sequence..

 

[summerice]

oh at first i am thinking of using powerpoint but then i think some one got to do the thing...so we thought might as well print out the program DIY.

bb queen i will be having real wedding cake...according to the baker they use a kind of fresh cream that can last for 6 to 8hrs outside no air con without melting...u have to check with the bakers first.

Jazol can share with me how many guest u invite n how many u order? will there be enough or many left over? I need to decide on the pax quantity. Thanks

 

[coco_mybibi]

hi ribbons,
is ok then. thanks

hi summerice,
do you mind to share your program DIY with me? I actually would like to see a sample and start off with. [email protected]

 

[summerice]

hehe coco i mean program DIY is i print it our myself...but i sent u a copy of my bulletin already. This is what i compile from the samples i get from my church. U have to check with them again see if they are o.k with it. At first i wanted to take out the recession but the pastor wife told me why dont want? she said u walk in with ur dad n then later u walk in with ur hb again hehehe.

I think it doesnt take up much time so i add it in to just complete the procedure. For the unity candle u have to check with ur church...some dont have the candle stand then u have to think of how to do it.

 

[corsage]

summerice can you share your programme with me too? I'm also planning to DIY. [email protected]
thanks so much!

do you girls think it will be v ugly if i just print black ink on coloured paper?

 

[coco_mybibi]

Hi Summerice,

Thanks for your mail, received it

for recession, you got to march out with your hubby and then march in with your hubby again, is it?

Can you advice me what is Postlude?

 

[summerice]

coco ya....postlude is ending hehehe just a name...n u can take pic using that time. like prelude = starts postlude = end.


corsage i am thinking of doing that...just buy color paper n print in black ink. u got mail.

 

[beachgirlz]

hi sisters! i'm a christian bride too

i've a problem here, wonder if any of u can help me?

my FH is a freethinker. i'm thinking of having a church wedding but as i am not a member of any church, thus a few church i asked, they told me they need both persons to be christians if not they will not solemnize for us.

do u all noe any church who will accept our case? thanks!

 

[mehmeh_lim]

hi coco,

iseeisee, hmm.. u can always put together songs of P&W that u & ur hubby like for the prelude. As for worship songs, u may also pick out songs which speak to both of u, that medidate your theme verse, about celebrating God's goodness in the wedding & marriage..

Pray that you would be annointed by the Holy Spirit for wisdom & efficiency in finding your required songs

hi Corsage,

Nah.. Had a fren who did photocopies.. Just that it shdn't be image intensive, coz photocopying wld compromise on image quality. But if laser-printing, image quality shd still be gd

 

[tryphena]

hi bbqueen, my caterer is Rasel Food Fusion and my guests response was very good and they like the food very much.... the common church caterers are Krist*n, Elsie Kitchen, Lavish Dining, etc...the decor for sanctuary is jus the pews (ribbons & flowers), flowers for altar table and table top (for signing or guests reception). try to not decor too much as it will be very complicated.

hi summerice, i had catered for abt 210 guests but my guests turnout is less than that.

so my advice to all brides here, try to invite as many guests as you can for the church wedding esp if you are going to invite them for both cos most of them will turn out for the dinner instead of church. the guests turn out is always less than expected but always remember not to order too little even though the caterer gave a buffer of 10-20% of the food cos if not enuff will be very pai seh, one of my fren did tat.

coco, i will send the file to you tmrw. as i need to make sm changes.

 

[tryphena]

hi valerie, i dun tink there's church will allow ur case. if u wan a pastor to solemnize for prob u cn chk which pastor cn solemnize outside for you cos my fren is the same case as you and she got a pastor not from my church to do for her at a hotel or any other venue....

 

[coco_mybibi]

hi mehmeh,
thanks so much for your advices and prayer. thanks god that you are always there to give me advices

may I ask what software did you use to do your church program?

hi ribbons,
did T&T help you to design and do the layout for your church invite?

hi jazol,
thanks alot

 

[ewwgetoffme]

hey corsage!

i saw a very nice wedding program sheet that was just black ink on coloured paper, but of course i think the couple spent quite a lot - they didn't use the normal coloured paper in the photocopying machine that we're thinking of. instead they used heavy, cream-coloured paper and tied gold string around the fold. but i have to say it was very, very pretty

 

[beachgirlz]

Hi Jazol

tks for replying. hmm my main concern is to hold it in church, in the presence of God. the pastor is secondary. thus i'm quite vexed over this. maybe i can't achieve my dream after all

 

[yuene]

Valerie,

I think that one of the main compromises you can make is to hold it in a church-like setting that is secular. You can try booking the chapel at the Singapore Art Museum, as that is secular but still retains the church setting; after all, it was a Catholic chapel before deconsecration. Another thing you might want to consider is to theme it to the Edenic theme, where you have plenty of flowers and it still has a biblical link. Alternatively, Changi Chapel will hold it for you too, I think. If all else fails, there's CHIJMES, but woohoo! The prices are prohibitive. I'd rather recommend the SAM chapel, which is just as beautiful in my opinion though rather small, only able to hold 150 comfortably.

handsomegroom, I've heard good things about Elsie's Kitchen and Purple Sage as caterers... but for Purple Sage be prepared for a painful dig into your budget. It is quite expensive! An alternative might be the Sakura chain of restaurants (the one with an outlet in Orchard and one at Downtown East), my church friend used them for her wedding and I have to say that I loved the food, especially the tempura station! They fry the tempura right in front of you! Okay, I'm a sucker for tempura, so I'm biased. But anyway. They're pretty much the same price as most caterers. Hope this helps all.

 

[beachgirlz]

Hi sharon

u've given me the idea juz as i've got it! i've juz seen a gal's wedding site, she held it at the SAM. its not bad! ya i guess this is the nearest i can get to a church? then if i can get a pastor to do the solemnization, then my dream will be fulfilled!

Edenic theme? hmm u noe of any florist who can do this theme for me? or any florist also can do so? ya i've asked Chijmes already, their rental is 8K. daylight robbery. 150 is ok for me for solemnization

i'm quite excited now, gg to make all the enquiries asap hehe

 

[sandsand]

valerie.. i think its not so much of churchs not wanting to rent their sanctuary, i think they are more concerned of whether the pple renting are true christians.. as in, they have to make sure that 'wholesome' activities take place in their church what.. not talking about u hor. just giving example. I think the church has to responsible to its members too...

I think its easier to get a church than to get a pastor to do solemnization.. cos the pastor is resposnbile for bringing the two together in marriage, and he has to at least know the couple or one of the couple...

Are u attending any church now? Are u intending to become a member of any church? If u are attending a church and are intending to become a member but do not see it happening b4 wedding, how about speaking to the pastor of the church? I'm sure they are willing to help and talk to u..

yes chjimes is really very ex. And that price is just the rental of the hall...... if u need extra chairs its extra charge..

hmm.. if u really want church.. how about aremenian church? but very small sitting capacity and non air con.

hey the orchid gaRDEN AT sentosa has a chapel right? is that open for rent?

 

[mehmeh_lim]

hi coco,

u're most welcome.. glad tt i've been of help

I think my fren used photoshop... A rather favoured programme with printers

hi valerie,

yupz, do 2nd the suggestion abt using SAM.. I think the capacity can go up to 200, but tt's really the max, but still not compromising on comfort.

 

[yuene]

mehmeh: Huh? I thought 150 the max? Cuz when I wanted to use it (okay la, I admit, my church is super ugly! And now they want to do reno just when I found somewhere else.. *cry*) they said that 180 was the very squeezy max that they can sit. But yeah, SAM is totally cool, and it's quite cheap too! Do have a few dates on hand, Valerie, as the place might be popular, so yup. The place is far more beautiful in real life than in photos. Call or email first.

CHIJMES is siaoness. When we heard the rental we nearly died of horror, cuz it'd eat up our entire wedding budget! I didn't know that the Armenian church actually rents out to non-members? and that the Orchid Garden at Sentosa has a chapel... Anyway Valerie, any florist can do the Edenic theme, it just involves plenty of flowers (be prepared to bust your budget for this) placed in a mildly haphazard but aesthetically beautiful manner, 'Constructing nature' as I like to call it! =)

 

[mehmeh_lim]

hi sharon,

had 2 frens who had ard tt no.. but the final guest no. might have differed fr the rsvps *hmm* Anyway, the only squeezy part are the chairs really placed so close to each other & if u're the innermost against the wall *faint*, no prob on leg-space though

oh yes, armenian church does rent out to non-members.. There are also a list of other churches which do rent out to non-members, but i'm thinking that most officiating pastors need both to be Christians

 

[beachgirlz]

helo ribbons

ya i do understand. izzit.. church is easier to get compared to pastor huh..ok.. a little blur.

i'm attend New creation church, but i am not a member, as in i do not attend care groups or join ministries, thus my particulars are not there. (not considered a member in such case). i have asked the helpline of the church, they will only do the solemnization for christians (1 4get if both also need to be baptised or not) and we need to attend the marriage course. Thus my FH might not want to go thru all these. So my church is out.

hmm whre is armenian church? they do accept christian and non-christian cases? ya there's a chapel at sentosa, but i'm not sure if its for rent.. need to go find out.

Hi meh meh

ya SAM seems quite affordable. i've sent email to enquire liao hehe.. 150 pax is ok for me..no need to go up to 200

u had urs there too?

helo sharon

oh a few dates on hand.. then shd i book the hotel 1st or book SAM 1st? what if i booked 1 then the other is full? how do u all book different places for same date?

i emailed liao le.. hehe. waiting for reply. is their service gd sharon? do u noe if they have a changing room for the bride?

 

[bb_queen]

Summerice n Jazol, Thanks for the information.

Valerie

Pls forgive me for being straight-forward. I am afraid no pastor from the main stream churches will solemnise a matrimony btw a christian and a non-believer. A matrimony is a promise btw the bride and the groom to God. If a person doesn't believe in God, how can he/she honor his/her promise to something/someone he/she doesn't believe in. The pastor needs to be accountable to God too. Well, you may try asking around and may find someone who will agree to do it.

As for venue, if it's a marriage of God's favor, He will bless it and will definitely be present no matter where you have the wedding. I had wanted to have it in a church too but couldn't due to some reasons, so I am sourcing for venues too. I was told 180 is the max max capacity for SAM. Among the museums, SAM is the cheapest and is quite nice for the rental that you pay. These museums really know how to make money. Btw, the rental for Chijmes is 4k for a 4hr day-time block.

 

[wedding_girl]

Valerie,
seems like you're in a bit of a tricky situation. from what i know (not sure if this is applicable across all churches), both you and your FH must be baptised Christians to use a church and for a pastor to conduct the solemnisation. example, my FH and i attend the same church. he's a believer, but not baptised, so my pastor insists that he must be baptised first. if i remember correctly, many years before when there was no one from the church to officiate the wedding, couples in my church would get someone to lead worship / MC, someone else to do the exhortation, and then get the JP to do the signing. but as i said, i'm not really sure. maybe the other brides here might have some knowledge on this?

as for marriage course, i think it's useful to have it even if it's not compulsory and whether or not your FH is a believer. am now in the midst of confirming quite a few things and we've encountered many instances where opinions differ etc. i feel that the marriage prep would help us greatly in this area. it's just a pity we've been so busy that we can only start the prep class middle of march. think those who have gone through it will also agree that it's beneficial. do seriously consider. i think there're other such courses outside of churches.

coordinating the dates - when's your AD? if it's still sometime away, it'd be easier to get confirmation for both banquet and ceremony.