Occidental Community Church is a wonderful location for your wedding

The church is a historic landmark, built in 1876. The white clapboard exterior with a bell tower helps create a village atmosphere in Occidental. After the ceremony, the newlyweds ring the church bell to proclaim their good news. Many couples will take a group picture in front of the church with all of their guests. It is not uncommon for the newlyweds to lead a processional to one of the nearby restaurants for their dinner reception.

Other Locations:

Pastors are available to perform ceremonies at the church or at a location of your choosing. The Pastors have performed ceremonies at golf clubs, yacht clubs, gardens, beaches, wineries and in State Parks.

What does "Community" mean?

The Occidental Community Church is located within a community and welcomes all people to come and worship and participate in our programs. OCC is a non-denominational church. Our members come from various backgrounds- Catholic, Baptists, Lutheran, Anglican, Pentecostal and more. We focus on the Lord and what the Bible teaches. "Community" may indicate to some that we are inclusive of all faiths. While we respect the beliefs of others, we are a Christian church community. As such, the ceremonies that we perform express that distinction. In the ceremony, it is not uncommon for a Scripture to be read or for the Pastor to pray for the couple.

Rehearsals:

When couples reserve the church for their wedding, they are scheduled for a rehearsal, usually held the night before. They are given a key to the church so that they may come and go to decorate or drop things off.

Pre-marital Counseling:

Pastors require pre-marital counseling. The Pastors vary on content, but strive to be helpful to the couple in their preparation for a lifetime together. Pastor Pete usually offers the Taylor-Johnson Temperant Analysis Test to help couples visually see their personality tendencies and where their differences may be. The book, "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman may be assigned, as well as other informative and helpful books. The Bible is also used as one of the texts. The final session includes the planning of your ceremony. It is very common for us to have couples come from out of the area. We’ve had couples come from all over the US and from Japan and Europe. Please call or email the church to discuss out of the area options.

Fee’s:

For a private ceremony- the couple and the Pastor, the church fee is $150.

For a public ceremony- where guests are invited, the church fee is $300.

The Pastors ask for an honorarium not less than $200.

A $50 deposit is required to schedule your wedding.

Reception Ideas

The Occidental Community Church does not provide a place for a reception. There are numerous locations within Occidental, nearby Camp Meeker and Bodega Bay. Please call us for more information.