Since our purpose is to establish Christian marriages in the context of a loving community, weddings and premarital services are reserved for individuals who meet the following requirements:

• Bride and Groom are both committed followers of Christ
• Bride and Groom have regularly attended Blackhawk for at least six months prior to their application.
• At Blackhawk we believe sexual abstinence before marriage is God’s design for each couple. We also believe living separately from each other until the wedding day is important in creating space for you to maintain the boundaries needed to do your pre-marriage process well. Therefore, we ask you as a couple, to covenant with each other to abstain sexually throughout the pre-marriage period until you are married, and to live separately until your wedding day.
• Bride and Groom agree to follow Blackhawk’s process

Note: This process is not intended to be a rigid system. There will always be situations that create exceptions. These guidelines have been carefully constructed to provide the best possible preparation, not just for the wedding day, but for a lifetime of marriage. Please speak with the Wedding Ministry Director concerning any possible exceptions.

Read Blackhawk’s Perspective on Sex Before Marriage
Prior to completing your wedding application, please click here to read Blackhawk’s Perspective on Sex Before Marriage.

Complete a marriage application
We ask that you submit the wedding application at least 6-9 months before your desired wedding date so that you can complete the necessary steps in the wedding process. Click here for a wedding application.

Meet with the Wedding Ministry Director
The Wedding Ministry Director will meet with you to review the Blackhawk wedding process in detail and will discuss your next steps.

Complete your PREPARE Assessment
The Prepare Assessment is a detailed relationship evaluation designed for engaged couples. The profile will help you identify the unique strengths and potential growth areas of your relationship. The fee is $70, which covers the cost of the assessment and the meeting with your Prepare Counselor.

Meet with a PREPARE counselor
After completion of the PREPARE assessment, you will meet with a PREPARE counselor to review the results of the assessment. This appointment will take place at Blackhawk and lasts about 90 minutes.

Enter the Mentor Process
After meeting with your Prepare Counselor you will be assigned a Marriage Mentor couple. In place of traditional premarital counseling with a pastor, Blackhawk utilizes a team of dedicated mentors. These mentors are Blackhawk couples who have been married for varying lengths of time, and whose desire is to assist engaged couples start their lives together successfully. Each engaged couple will meet with a mentor couple between 6 and 8 sessions to discuss a variety of aspects of married life.

Meet with your Pastor (about 2 months before the wedding) – if you are getting married by a Blackhawk Pastor, either on or offsite
At Blackhawk you will be assigned a Pastor three months prior to your wedding. Please contact the Wedding Ministry Coordinator if you have a specific pastor that you would like to request for your ceremony. While we cannot guarantee the availbailty of a specific pastor, in most cases we will be able to accommodate your request. Please do not contact the pastor directly and ask him to perform your ceremony. Also, because of the limitations on our staff, if you are holding your ceremony offsite we are only able to perform weddings within 15 miles of the church.

Meet with your Wedding Coordinator – if you are getting married at Blackhawk
Approximately two months prior to your wedding, a wedding coordinator will contact you to begin discussing the details of your wedding. Our coordinators will help you with Blackhawk wedding resources, rehearsal staging and your ceremony. You must use one of our coordinators, who will provide access to the building, as well as helpful information and service. Your coordinator will work closely with the pastoral staff member involved in your wedding.  [Top Of Page]

Prepare Evaluation- $75
The fee covers the cost of the assessment and a meeting with your Prepare Counselor.

Wedding Ceremony – $525
The fee covers a Blackhawk Wedding Coordinator, Sound Technician and facility use.

• It is customary for the bride and groom to give the officiating pastor an honorarium. We recommend approximately $300 as a guideline for that gift.

Wedding with Reception

• Eastside Wedding Ceremony & Westside Auditorium Reception $1275 plus a $500 refundable security deposit.
• Wedding Ceremony & Atrium or Underground Reception $925 plus a $200 refundable security deposit.
• Wedding Ceremony & Fireside Room Reception $725 plus a $100 refundable security deposit.
• Wedding reception fees and reception security deposits depend on the location of the reception site. The fee covers a Blackhawk Wedding Coordinator, Sound Technician and facility use for both the wedding and reception.
• The Reception Deposit will be refunded within two weeks of your reception, less any cleaning charges incurred and/or damages sustained.