I take thee: Ormond's Tomoka Christian Church hosts free weddings for 11 couples

This year marked the 11th year that Tomoka Christian Church has dedicated one special day to hold free wedding ceremonies.

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Eleven couples tied the knot in five hours for free at Tomoka Christian Church on Friday, Sept. 18. Over 60 volunteers helped make it happen, at no cost to the brides and grooms.

It’s a tradition that Pastor Joe Putting started after he was inspired to help couples eliminate cost as a reason for not getting married.

“Pastor Joe put a little note in our mailbox that said, ‘Free weddings, let’s discuss’,” said Christina Moore, the Director of Engagement at Tomoka Christian Church. “Everything that you see, from the cakes, to the flowers, to the photography, to all the hours of work that we poured into it, the volunteers, they pay nothing. It’s just a gift to the community and we’ll do this as long as the Lord says we should.”

Friday marked the 11th year that Tomoka Christian Church has dedicated one special day a year to hold free wedding ceremonies.

“The whole building’s full of love and joy,” Putting said. “We’re over 100 weddings now. It’s a lot of fun.”

Tyler and Holly Stewart were the first of 11 weddings performed. They also had the largest wedding party of the evening.

“I just want to cry,” Holly Stewart said. “[I’m] just overwhelmed with joy.”

Her husband couldn’t agree more.

“It’s an amazing, beautiful blessing from God,” Tyler Stewart said. “I can’t be more grateful than what it is. It’s just such an amazing opportunity and blessing to be here with so many loved ones, support systems. It’s a God-given gift.”

Couples and their wedding parties and guests start out in the holding area, then go into the dedicated ceremony space. There was a decorated stage with lighting, floral arrangements, and a live pianist and violinist.

After the wedding ceremony, the wedding group goes into the hallway where the couple sign their marriage certificate, then, go into the reception area.

“Inside the reception area, they have worked with me for months to plan out their own songs,” Moore said. “ We have a cake in there for them with flowers and stuff, and so a seating area for all the friends and family to go in there, and they get to have a unique experience.”

The group spends about 20-25 minutes in the reception area. After cutting the cake, doing their first dance, and saying hello to some of their guests, the party heads into a third room where there is food and tables to continue the greeting and reception.

As soon as the wedding party leaves these rooms, volunteers swoop in, clean up, straighten up, and reset everything, so that it’s just like new for the next wedding party to come in and experience it. As they move to the next room, one couple takes their cake with them and the next couple has their cake set up in its place.

“I am overwhelmed and I’m so grateful that our son found a beautiful young woman to be his wife,” said Audrey Burgher, mother of one of the grooms. “We’re very excited about this marriage for them. It’s a generous mission for the church to support marriage.”

Her son, David Burgher, and his wife, Kali, were married at the event.

“I’m so good,” Kali Burgher said. “Wonderful!”

David and Kali grinned from ear to ear at each other as they were asked what they feel.

“Joy and happiness,” David Burgher said.

 

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