Wedding Policies

GUIDELINES

1. Scheduling and Reservations

Weddings are scheduled no more than 12 months in advance. Within that time frame, please schedule your wedding with us as soon as possible. The Cypress Creek Christian Community Center hours are Tuesday-Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. An appointment is required for a venue tour. You may email gwhitten@cypressscreek.cc or call 281.376.7121 to schedule your tour and schedule the date and time of your wedding. If you receive a recording, please leave your name and number and someone will return your call as soon as possible.

Wedding reservations for the Centrum, Forum and Chapel will be made when the date of the wedding and facilities to be used are scheduled with the Center’s Executive Director. The Cypress Creek Christian Community Center will submit a wedding contract and a request for a non-refundable 10% deposit of the total fee. The reservation is confirmed only upon the return of the signed wedding contract and the deposit fee payment.

For Cypress Creek Christian Church members, please contact the church directly at 281.376.7113 for special pricing. Member weddings are defined as those in which the bride or groom or their parents or guardians are members of the Cypress Creek Christian Church at the time of the wedding. A new member must be active in the church for 90 days before a wedding can be placed on the calendar as a church member wedding.

When the wedding deposit has been received and the date confirmed, the Center’s Executive Director will refer the couple to the Church Wedding Coordinator. The Wedding Coordinator will schedule an appointment and will provide further detailed information in the initial meeting.

2. Wedding Coordinator

For Centrum and Forum Auditorium weddings, Cypress Creek Christian Community Center (C5) and the Cypress Creek Christian Church provide a Wedding Coordinator for each ceremony. External Wedding Coordinators are welcome for your personal needs; however, final decisions must be approved by the Cypress Creek Wedding Coordinator. The Wedding Coordinator is only responsible for the event venue; the Center’s Executive Director is responsible for communicating the facility setup instructions to the custodial staff.

For Chapel weddings, the requirement for a wedding coordinator is up to the bridal couple or may be required by the Cypress Creek Christian Com Center Executive Director. If an external coordinator is used, final decisions must be approved by the Cypress Creek Wedding Coordinator.

3. Deposits and Fees

A. Deposits – Forum, Centrum and Chapel

A 10% non-refundable deposit is required for confirmation of the date and is due within 10 business days from the date the contract is issued. The deposit for the wedding is applied to the total fee.

B. Fees

The Centrum wedding fee is $3,250. The Centrum seats 800.

Centrum – What Is Included in the Fee

What Is Included	Important Notes
Five-hour block: facility costs for the Centrum	Fees are a package deal regardless of whether the space and/or the ministerial and musician services are used. You may choose your own wedding officiant, external wedding coordinator, and musicians; the Cypress Creek staff will serve in a consultant’s role
Five-hour block: Bride’s Room and Groom’s Room
One-hour rehearsal the day before the wedding
Minister’s fee - provides pre-marital counseling, conducts ceremony planning meetings, prepares and officiates a unique wedding ceremony for each couple
Pianist or Organist	Cypress Creek pianist/organist will have first right of refusal
Cypress Creek Wedding Coordinator	Responsibilities are for event venue only; if applicable, coordinates with the wedding party’s external Wedding Coordinator.
Centrum - What Is Included (cont.)	Important Notes
Sound technician	A sound technician is provided. Other: Media services are not included. Additional hours needed for decorating are based on availability and must be scheduled in advance with the Community Center Executive Director
Cleaning Services	All janitorial and custodial responsibilities are included

Forum Auditorium Fee

The Forum Auditorium wedding fee is $2,000. The Forum Auditorium seats 250.

Forum Auditorium – What Is Included in the Fee

What Is Included	Important Notes
Four-hour block: facility costs for the Forum Auditorium	Fees are a package deal regardless of whether the space and/or the ministerial and musician services are used. You may choose your own wedding officiant, external wedding coordinator, and musicians; the Cypress Creek staff will serve in a consultant’s role
Four-hour block: two rooms next to the Auditorium
One-hour rehearsal the day before the wedding
Minister’s fee - provides pre-marital counseling, conducts ceremony planning meetings, prepares and officiates a unique wedding ceremony for each couple
Pianist or Organist	Cypress Creek pianist/organist will have first right of refusal
Centrum - What Is Included (cont.)	Important Notes
Cypress Creek Wedding Coordinator	Responsibilities are for the event venue only; if applicable, coordinates with the wedding party’s external Wedding Coordinator
Sound technician	A sound technician is provided
Cleaning Services	All janitorial and custodial responsibilities are included. Other: Media services are not included; Additional hours needed for decorating are based on availability and must be scheduled in advance with the Community Center Executive Director

Chapel Fees – The Chapel fees are presented in the table below. The chapel seats 45.

What Is Included	Important Notes
For weddings on weekdays that take place between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, the two-hour minimum facility fee is $110	There is only one rental fee schedule regardless of the day of the week and the time of the wedding. If additional hours are requested for decorating, and if the facility is available, the rental rate is $55/hour
For weddings on weekdays before 8:00 am and after 4:00 pm, all day Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, there is an additional event staff fee-$83 for the first three hours, and $25 for each hour thereafter
Cleaning Fee - $28	If any type of food is served, the cleaning fee is $50
Options	Important Notes
Cypress Creek Christian Church Officiant and Honorarium-With prior approval from the Executive Director, you may use your own officiant	The fee for the officiant is $250, including (1) meeting with the couple and a one-hour rehearsal the night before the ceremony. Marriage counseling is available for an additional fee. The facility fee for a one-hour rehearsal is $55/hour and is separate from the two-hour ceremony minimum fee
Other Fees (Cont.)	Important Notes
Wedding Coordinator	The fee for the Wedding Coordinator is $250; it is also subject to the discretion of the Cypress Creek Christian Community Center Executive Director; if an external wedding coordinator is used, it is subject to the approval of the Center’s Wedding Coordinator
Sound or media assistance	No technical services are included

Other Information:

• There are no musical instruments in the Chapel. You may bring instruments, or you may download them to your cell phone, tablet, or other device and create a playlist. You may bring your own speakers.
• There are no restrooms in the Chapel. Facilities are available next door in the Forum building.

4. Payment Due Date

Full payment for all facilities and services must be paid no less than ten business days prior to the wedding date. Failure to do so will result in cancellation of the event with no refund.

5. Cancellation

Written notice to cancel a reservation must be received by the Executive Director no later than 14 calendar days prior to the reservation date. The Reservation Fee will not be refunded in the event of a cancellation.

If cancellation of the wedding and the full amount of the booking fee has been paid to the Center, the following refunds will be made:

• At least two months before the event – Full refund minus the Reservation Fee
• At least one month before the event – 50% of the booking fee minus the Reservation Fee

If the Center cancels the event due to a situation that makes the facility unusable, a full refund will be given to the Renter/User Organization.

6. Rehearsals

Chapel, Forum Auditorium and Centrum

Rehearsals are scheduled generally at 5:30 pm on Friday evenings (or the day prior to the service) and are limited to one hour. Therefore, it is important to be on time. Everyone involved in the wedding, including the bride and groom, attendants, ushers, candle lighters, Scripture readers, parents and grandparents should be present.

7. Photographers and Videographers

Centrum, Forum Auditorium and Chapel as appropriate

Photographs and videos should be taken in a way that does not disrupt the wedding ceremony. Videographers – Your ceremony may be videotaped from the locations specified by the Wedding Coordinator using available light only. For Centrum and Forum weddings, no flash photography should be used during the ceremony. The wedding officiant determines the use of flash photography for Chapel weddings.

We ask that photographers refrain from being on the altar to take photos during the ceremony. We allow thirty (30) minutes for photographers to take pictures immediately following the ceremony. Ceremonies that begin late will take away allotted photography time. The venues are available (to the contracted bride) for bridal portraits by appointment only. Please contact the Center’s Executive Director at 281.376.7121 to schedule an appointment. The people involved in videotaping and photographing your wedding should be dressed appropriately for the wedding. The sound and light engineer is not responsible for audio recordings of the ceremony. The bride and groom are responsible for informing the photographer/videographer of these guidelines.

8. Receptions

The five-hour rental fee for the use of a wedding reception in the Forum Garden Room (Activity Room) is $933. The fee includes the facility costs, event staff, and custodial services. Tablecloths are not provided. There may be an extra fee if the Wedding Coordinator is asked to assist. The Center’s Executive is responsible to communicate the facility setup information to the custodial staff.

Alcohol use during the lease time for wedding ceremonies is unallowable. For wedding receptions only, alcohol is allowed provided the terms of the alcohol policy are followed. If interested, request a copy from the Executive Director.

9. Decor

Centrum, Forum and Chapel as appropriate

• The Wedding Coordinator must approve all wedding decorations.
• Your florist will have access to the venue at the time the lease begins. Decorating of the facilities will occur at the time the lease begins.
• All flowers and decorations must be removed immediately following the wedding ceremony and pictures within the allotted time.
• There is no storage of any wedding decorations the day before or after the ceremony.
• To protect the venue finishes, plastic materials must be placed under all floral arrangements. Please be careful not to mar woodwork or flooring. Nails, staples, adhesives, etc., are not permitted.
• Chair markers must be secured with padded or plastic hooks.
• Real rose petals may not be used (silk only). Confetti (including biodegradable confetti), birdseed, rice, glitter, sparklers or sky lanterns are not to be used in facilities or on the grounds.
• Please do not leave or store empty bouquet vases in the dressing rooms, restrooms or under the counter. You are responsible for disposing of anything that is brought into the venue.
• Facilities and furniture may not be altered or moved. During the month of December, the Centrum and the Forum Auditorium will be decorated for Christmas. These decorations may not be altered or moved.

10. License

A Texas marriage license is required to be presented to the Officiant at the wedding rehearsal. The wedding service, by law, cannot be performed without a valid license presented prior to the service. A Texas marriage license can be obtained from any county courthouse in Texas. State law mandates that the marriage ceremony may not be performed during the 72-hour period immediately following the issuance of a marriage license, unless special provisions are met. There can be no exceptions to this rule. If you have further questions, contact the Harris County Clerk’s Office at 713-274-8686.

11. Alcohol

During the lease time allocated for wedding ceremonies, alcohol is unallowable. For wedding receptions only, alcohol is allowed provided the terms of the alcohol policy are followed. If interested, request a copy from the Executive Director. Tobacco use is unallowable.

12. Tobacco Use

Tobacco use is not allowed on the campus grounds.

13. Do not arrive before your scheduled time.

14. Parking

Primary parking areas are those to the west and south of the church/community center buildings accessed by the road leading from Yorkminster behind the buildings. Parking in the circular driveway to the east of the facility and the Centrum driveway to the north of the facility are reserved for “drop off” and “pick up” or for limousines.