Information for Weddings at Old First Presbyterian Church
Welcome to historic Old First Presbyterian Church and thank you for considering our church for your wedding day. We are the oldest Protestant congregation in California. Old First Church is an exceptional site for your wedding with a light filled sanctuary, stained glass windows - each telling its own story, the Hutchings Visscher pipe organ, and convenient parking. The seating capacity is 450 which includes the balcony where the large Rose Window is the focal point.
Upon entering the church, your guests will be in the Exonarthex with its inspiring neo Byzantine ceiling painted in reds, blues, and gold leaf. Guests then proceed into the wood paneled Narthex where they may greet one another.
Our Sanctuary offers excellent acoustics for your music (Old First Concerts has used the Sanctuary as a venue for over 40 years). Beautiful stained glass windows surround the walls of the church. There is a central aisle ending at the steps to the Chancel for the ceremony with 2 aisles on along the walls.
We have a long tradition of inviting people from the community to use our Sanctuary for their weddings, but it is also a place where we worship God. As such, we consider the ceremony a service of worship. We do expect that our faith and tradition will be respected and that our Sanctuary will be treated with care.
A Wedding Fee schedule and Wedding Contract may be downloaded.
Wedding Dates
Please contact the Church Administrator in the church office at 415-776-5552 to see if your wedding and rehearsal dates and times are available. The Wedding Coordinator will call you to answer any questions you might have and/or send you information and forms about weddings.
Use of the Sanctuary for your wedding includes the following: rehearsal (one hour), the wedding day (two and a half hours), waiting rooms for the bride and groom, and the services of the Wedding Coordinator and Sexton (both required).
Presiding Clergy
The Pastor at Old First is available to officiate at your ceremony for a fee of $250. If you are interested in having Pastor Henderson perform your wedding ceremony we invite you to come to a Sunday service where you can see, hear and meet her or, you may want to choose your own Pastor.
Wedding Coordinator
Old First provides a Wedding Coordinator who will work with you as you plan, rehearse, and enjoy your wedding. This person is there to help and answer your questions in this wonderful process. The Coordinator speaks for the Church and will approve your unique plans, flowers and decorating etc.
Premarital Counseling
We suggest that every couple being married in our Sanctuary, engage in a minimum of three (3) hours of premarital counseling. You may arrange to do this with your Pastor or a licensed counselor.
Music For Your Wedding
Church staff musicians are available to provide music for your ceremony on Old First's great pipe organ, piano or harp and to accompany any soloists you may wish to have. If you are not sure about what specific music you may want, they will be glad to help you in this process.
The P.A. system has a cd player, but does not have a mixing board.
Elevator
Those who wish may use the elevator, which serves all floors and has an entrance on Sacramento Street at the NE corner of the church.
Parking
There is ample paid parking adjacent to the church. Please check with each parking lot for rates, as they vary.
- 1725 Sacramento Street
Old First Parking Garage (building beside the Bank of America parking lot)
- 1776 Sacramento Street
Public parking in building opposite the church.
- 1727 Sacramento Street
Bank of America Parking Lot, public parking after business hours (next to church).
- 1500 Van Ness Avenue
Golden Gateway Holiday Inn Parking Garage (between Pine and California).