First of all, congratulations!

Because if you've come to this page, you may be looking ahead to marriage in the not so distant future.

We at the Greater Boston Vineyard agree with the spirit of Proverbs 18:22, that the person who finds a husband or wife finds what is good and receives favor from God. Committed love, partnership and marriage is a great thing and we're so happy for you.

If you're thinking about getting married through the Vineyard, there are a few things we thought would be helpful to let you know. So read on, and if you have any questions, or would like to follow up further, please feel free to call the church office at 617-252-0005 or e-mail us at marriage@bostonvineyard.org.

God bless you!

Three Basic Guidelines

There are three basic guidelines for Getting Married at the Greater Boston Vineyard:

1) While we are glad for anyone to visit and attend the Greater Boston Vineyard, the pastors only perform weddings for couples in which at least one person is a member, couples who have taken our marriage course, and couples who are in a local community church.

If you are not planning on becoming a member, we may be able to suggest some other possibilities for you. If you are not yet a member, but would like to learn about what that entails, consider taking our one afternoon class Vineyard 101: Discovering Vineyard Membership. It will explain our value of regular commitment through time, Small Group involvement, financial giving and active service. People become members by taking this class and then, if they feel ready, signing our 101 covenant.

2) We request a 4-month lead time from the time you ask to be married by a staff pastor and your proposed wedding date. This allows ample time for pastors' schedules to be worked out, premarital counseling and planning.

3) Engaged couples should plan to take The Marriage Course, a 8-week group class provided bi-annually. This will be complemented by at least three sessions of one-on-one premarital counseling with the pastor who marries you.

The goal of The Marriage Course and premarital counseling/dialogue is to help you build your married life on a solid and reality-based foundation. We favor groups, because in our experience, learning from and with other married couples can be an important resource as your married life hits the inevitable challenges ahead. Topics will include: family backgrounds, money, sexuality, in-laws, careers, communication, conflict, and children. Your marrying pastor will also use your dialogue with him/her to personalize your wedding service to reflect the unique blessings and challenges of your relationship.

For a preliminary wedding application form, please click here.