Weddings

17175 Monterey Street,
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
(408) 779-4044
Ted Pecot, Pastor
Phyllis Bellet, Wedding Coordinator

A Statement from the Pastor
About the Wedding Ceremony
An Example of a Wedding Ritual
Cost of a Wedding
Directions to the Church
About the Church

From the Pastor

Below is an example of a basic service. Very few weddings that I do follow this service exactly because I feel that the wedding service should fit the character and words of the couple as they enter the covenant of marriage. I will be happy to change order, wording, and meaning to fit your needs and wishes as we discuss them.

I like to meet with a couple two to three times before the wedding in order to prepare the service and do some marriage counseling. In rare cases I will meet less than that. It is best to contact me at least three to six months before the wedding to schedule the sanctuary and time with me.

I expect that you will work hard on your vows with me, even if you decide to use traditional vows, because these are the foundation stones of your marriage. In the course of preparing for the wedding you will write your vows so that they fit with your character and goals.

I am trained to offer a relational inventory (Prepare/Enrich) as part of the marriage counseling, if you wish. This is a hundred-question survey which explores many issues in a couple's life. If you decide to use this inventory, you will pay the processing fee ($30) directly to the company that evaluates the inventory. I will go over the results with you when we get them back.

Ted Pecot was ordained elder in the United Methodist Church in 1981. He is authorized by the United Methodist Church and the State of California as a minister to perform weddings and provide premarital counseling toward the wedding.

The Wedding Ceremony

Most wedding services are very short and very simple. Remember, the sacred event is not the weddings but the marriage itself. The wedding is the first rite which gets the marriage off to a good start. So, most, not all, weddings follow a time-tested and extraorinarily simple outline:

• The minister introduces the couple and the guests to the significance and meaning of a wedding ceremony.
  
• The couple promises in front of a gathering of witnesses to enter marriage with each other.
  
• The family gives support to the marriage.
  
• The couple makes their vows and exchange signs of the vows.
  
• The minister pronounces the couple married.

The basic service takes about 10 to 15 minutes, but there are endless variations that can affect the order, the length, and the content of these basic ingredients. I encourage special music, prayers, or symbols which often increase the time and the personal meaning of the celebration. Favorite songs or poems , sung or performed by a close friend, are wonderful additions to the service. Many couples incorporate candle ceremonies or communion into the event. Some couples come from different faiths which woven together, can create other rituals. I do marriages for couples in different faiths, and am happy to take these differences into account when designing a service. I also do services together with other clergy.

Example Wedding Ritual

Here is a typical ritual used in a wedding.

Cost of a Wedding

The sanctuary has a baby grand piano and an organ which can be used during the service.  We can refer you to a variety of musicians.

Photographers and videographers should be warned that during the service no flash can be taken and they should be as invisible as possible.

Cleaning deposit will be returned if everything is left in order.

Directions

We are located in downtown of Morgan Hill, on the corner of Monterey and 4th streets. From Highway 101, take the East Dunne exit, go half a mile west to Monterey Road, then north about two blocks.

About the Church

Our church was founded in the late 1800s. The present structure was built in the early 20th century and still carries the white clapboard look of many of the buildings built then. The sanctuary is a beautiful space with a distinctive molded tin ceiling. It will seat up to about 120 people. There are 16 pews in the sanctuary.

We have a Fellowship Hall which can seat about 85 and a good kitchen. Convenient and handicap accessible restrooms. Only enough wine or champagne to toast the bride and groom are allowed at receptions.