Weddings
Elegant and memorable weddings are our specialty in our historic 120+ year-old English Gothic church. Receptions are held in our gorgeously appointed Parish House, suitable for up to 180 guests.
FAIRHAVEN
Fairhaven is a destination wedding site with historic bed and breakfast places for wedding parties and their families and convenient hotels for guests, a charming town center, and a unique whaling museum and art museum and many other sights to visit in the city next to us, New Bedford.
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There is also a historic fort, Fort Phoenix for beach photos and a town beach on West Island with beach cottages for rent. Fairhaven is also attractive as a destination wedding site for its more economical prices compared to those in Boston and Providence.
MINISTRY & MUSIC
A member of our ministry team will work with you to create the ceremony and words that reflect your vision of your wedding. Our sanctuary capacity is 275. The minister may provide you with a wedding booklet of wedding words that you can use as a springboard from which you can choose most of the words, including those for your vows and ring ceremony.
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You can choose traditional words or contemporary ones. If you wish, it is possible for you to mix and match and rewrite words until you are sure they are the ones that are true to your hopes for your relationship and reflective of the promises you want to make to each other.
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You may meet with the minister twice: once for premarital discussion; and a second time to plan the flow of the ceremony and to finalize the precious words that will be spoken on that day.
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There will be a wedding rehearsal the evening before the wedding (or at some time close to the wedding day, if needed).
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A member of our ministry team will help you plan an elegant and intimate wedding with the help of our music director, Dwight Thomas, and our two wedding assistants. These services are available to both members of our congregation and non-members as well. Dwight Thomas is an accomplished pianist and organist who will work with you to provide exactly the right music you want.
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Two wedding assistants organize the processional and help you with whatever you need on the day of the wedding.
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Our Campus
The Unitarian Memorial Church is a versatile space that caters to a variety of events, including weddings, vow renewals, and child dedications.
Our welcoming Parish House and Harrop Center are perfect for community gatherings and family celebrations.
We are dedicated to making your event special and memorable. Schedule a tour today!
Book a Tour
Child Dedication
Our Child Dedication and Blessing is a private ceremony for you and your family and friends.
It seeks to bind the child to their community by way of promises from the parents, God- (or Guardian) parents, older brother, sisters, grandparents, and the family and friends who will part of the child’s life.
This service is available to both members of our congregation and non-members as well.
If the number of attendees is less than 25, we can gather in a cozy group around the dedication font where there is a comfortable bench for elderly family members to sit down. Or, for larger groups, we can go into our magnificent Sanctuary.
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The God- (or Guardian) parents make the water “holy” by having a sense of their love for your child. We use the water and a rosebud without thorns to welcome, dedicate, and bless your child.
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Using the words prepared by the minister, the parents, God- (or Guardian) parents, grandparents, and the community make promises. We adjust the language to be meaningful to you.
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The service takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Although photographs are not allowed during the ceremony, a small video camera can be used. Afterwards, we will step through the ceremony elements so that regular photos can be taken.
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How to Arrange for This Ceremony
First, speak to our Ashley Lessa, Congregational Life Coordinator, in the front office by calling 508-992-7081, or emailing office@uufairhaven.org. Please leave your name, number, and a few dates you are interested in. Then, she will assist you with pricing and paperwork. If you wish to go forward with the ceremony, you will be sent a booking form.
When we receive your booking form and checks in the mail with your choice of blessing words, your date and time will be confirmed. The minister will call you to arrange a short meeting with the parents (baby can come too) to discuss the words of the ceremony and to answer all of your questions prior to the ceremony date!
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The Reception
Most families have a social gathering afterwards at their home, grandparents’ home, restaurant, or rented hall. If your party is large, you might like to consider a celebration in our Parish House. Please let Ashley know upon booking the dedication if you are interested in a reception, and she will assist you with booking and choosing an appropriate space on our campus for your gathering.
The Baptismal Font
From the Cloister with it’s ornate bronze gates and marble mosaic floor we enter what architect Charles Brigham labeled the Tower Entrance which houses the Baptismal Font. The room is laden with traditional Christian symbols. The four corners of the inlaid marble floor hold bronze medallions representing the four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The walls of the entrance are of limestone with carved medallions bearing Christian symbols specifically related to the crucifixion. Varying from the preponderance of Christian symbolism in the room, the four corners of the room below the majestic fan vaulted ceiling contain limestone carvings symbolizing the four stages of woman: Infant, Youth, Maturity and Old Age.
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In the center of the entrance rests the carved marble Baptismal Font on an Italian marble base. Brass letters inlaid in the base hold one of Jesus’ imperatives from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke: “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
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In contrast to the light marble floor and font and the limestone walls, the canopy covering the font is of dark English oak. This incredibly intricate Gothic design was carved in the studios of Johannes Kirchmayer (1860-1939) of Boston. A series of small shields ring the canopy near the bottom, upon each of which appears a letter repeating the adjuration from the base: “Suffer little children…”. Above the shields are ten wooden buttresses, each with a kneeling angel holding a scroll with one of the Ten Commandments.
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Above the angels are ten standing figures of early Christian saints who played important roles in the spread of Christianity throughout the world. Each figure is exquisitely carved with an appropriate insignia to aid in identification. They include: St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph of Arimathea (England), St. John the Evangelist (Asia Minor), St. Peter (Italy), St. Paul (Greece), St. Vladimir (Russia), St. Martin of Tours (France), St. Boniface (Germany), St. Mark (North Africa), and St. James Major (Spain). The canopy is topped with Tudor roses and a winged angel.