Weddings are special milestones in couples lives and it is good and right that these events are celebrated in the spirit of worship and thanksgiving.  We love being a part of these special days and look forward to your inquiries about having a wedding at Canton Lutheran Church or requesting Pastor Tony to be a part of your wedding at another location.

The first step in having a wedding is to contact Pastor Tony and see; 1) if he is available on your desired date; and 2) whether he is willing to perform the ceremony.  Because of a busy schedule, it is very seldom that Pastor Tony is available to do weddings for people who are not members of the congregation or who are very inactive members.  You may contact Pastor Tony by calling the church offices at (605) 764-2429 or e-mailing him at tony@cantonlutheran.net.  If Pastor Tony is available to do your wedding, the next step is then to reserve either the sanctuary or the chapel.

To reserve the Sanctuary, couples should fill out the Wedding Ceremony and Reception Reservation Form and return it to the church offices along with their down payment reserving the space as soon as possible.  Sanctuary is reserved on a first-come basis as we reserve forms and deposits.  Non-members and inactive members cannot reserve space in the church until 9 months prior to the wedding so as to give first priority to active members.  Weddings not held at the church do not require a deposit but do still need to fill out the Wedding Ceremony and Reception Reservation Form.  To assist you in your planning we have several resources available. Please feel free to download and browse our wedding planning book entitled Your Wedding Day. It has much valuable information that will help you plan your wedding ceremony.  Once you have been put on Pastor Tony's schedule and the church calendar you will fill out the two page form Planning a Sacred Wedding and schedule an appointment with our Wedding Coordinator Jeanie Jacobsen. Jeanie can be reached at jjjacobsen@iw.net or by calling her cell at (605) 254-5129. 

A Booklet for Planning Your Wedding Day

Wedding Ceremony and Reception Reservation Form

Wedding Coordinator Planning Form

 

Pre-Marriage Counseling

Pre-marriage counseling is an important process for couples engaged to be married. Many couples are hesitant to engage in this important work thinking that they know everything there is to know about one another and that there is nothing to be learned or gained from the process. Yet, long-time married couples will tell us that the work of discovering your mate and growing in love is something that happens throughout life.  There is no more important time to strengthen and work on a couple's relationship than during the time they are engaged.  It is important that the secondary work of preparing for a wedding not take priority over the much more important work of preparing for a marriage.

Couples getting married at Canton Lutheran are asked to participate in one of the Pre-Marital Preparation Workshops held monthly at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, SD and conducted by Dr. Mark Britzman and Sela Nagelhout,BSN, MS, NCC.  The program cost is $225 if pre-registered and $250 if paid on-site.  In addition to the 5 hour Saturday workshop, this program also includes an individual couple follow-up session with a summary disseminated to you and to Pastor Tony as he prepares for your wedding sermon.  The schedule of the workshops and a map to Our Savior's can be found at Dr. Britzman's website: www.pursuingthegoodlife.com