Wedding Photographers & Videographers at First Lutheran Church, Altoona

A wedding at First Lutheran Church puts you in one of the larger churches in downtown Altoona, on 12th Avenue. The congregation is the mother church of Lutherans in the city, and the sanctuary has a chancel and an Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ, so your wedding photos have a proper church setting and your wedding videographer can record the organ as you walk down the aisle.

The church doesn't publish a wedding page, so start with a call to the church office to ask whether it hosts ceremonies for members and for couples outside the congregation, and what the pastor asks of you. If the answer is yes, plan your wedding ceremony around the organ: ask whether the church organist plays for weddings and what music is welcome. The building is handicap accessible, which matters for older guests on your wedding day.

For photos, ask where your photographer may stand during the service and whether pictures in the sanctuary are allowed afterward. Many couples want a group picture of the families at the front of the church right after the recessional, so it helps to know the church's guidelines early. The church also runs a school and has an educational wing, but it doesn't list a reception hall.

• Call the church office to ask about weddings and dates.
• Ask about photo and video guidelines and music for the ceremony.
• Visit the sanctuary with your photographer and videographer before the day.

A little about First Lutheran Church

Its congregation dates to 1805, and eight of Altoona's Lutheran congregations grew out of it. The present church was dedicated in 1897, and a new chancel and the Aeolian-Skinner organ were added in 1950.