Once you complete the questionnaire, the pastoral care team will review your request and connect with the available pastors to help determine who has availability and might be the best fit. If you already have a relationship with a COTC pastor, you are welcome to reach out to them personally to see if they are available on your wedding day and then note on the form if you have already secured an officiant. Given the number of requests we receive for officiants, please consider whether you might know another pastor (i.e. childhood pastor) that might be an alternate option in the event that we have difficulty finding a COTC pastor who is available.

Yes! Once you complete the form, we’ll walk you through the steps and get you connected to a premarital mentor couple.

If you are interested in having a COTC pastor officiate your wedding, premarital preparation is required prior to the wedding. If the premarital counseling is completed outside of COTC, we would simply ask you to provide information and documentation of your plan (i.e. who is providing the counseling, whether they are utilizing an inventory such as SYMBIS, Prepare/Enrich, etc.).

Premarital mentoring involves pairing you with a trained volunteer mentor couple for approximately 6-8 sessions over the course of 2-3 months (the length of time depends on frequency of sessions, how long each session lasts, etc.). Once you’ve completed the initial request form, we will begin the process of matching you with the mentor couple. We will also ask you to complete an online inventory called the SYMBIS assessment, which is designed to help you think through and discuss some of the most significant aspects of your relationship, such as communication, conflict, intimacy, family, etc. Your mentor couple will help create a safe space for you to talk through the knowns and unknowns of what’s ahead, while walking through the results of the assessment. If, at any point in the process, any issues arise that go beyond the scope of our staff and trained volunteers, couples will be directed to seek help from a professional counselor.

Yes. The cost is $200 per couple. This covers the online assessment and the materials used for the premarital process. Once you complete premarital mentoring, you will be provided with a notarized certificate of completion which offers you a $60 exemption from the fee associated with your marriage license.

Our honorarium for the COTC pastor is $500. (Some of what this includes is time spent getting to know you, preparing for the ceremony to ensure it is crafted with elements that are unique and meaningful to you, participating in the rehearsal, assisting with the marriage license, etc.) Additional travel expenses may incur for locations further away (i.e. outside the greater Nashville area).