Wedding Photographers & Videographers at Big Spring Presbyterian Church, Newville

A wedding at Big Spring Presbyterian Church in Newville starts at a graystone church that stands at a bend of the Big Spring, with an old graveyard around it. For wedding photos and video, that setting gives you something few churches can: weathered stone walls, running water close by and the quiet of a small Cumberland County town. Inside, the front of the sanctuary is marked by a mural painted for the church, "A Vision of Our Lord Enthroned," so when the two of you stand together for your vows, your photographer and videographer have a meaningful picture behind you.

This is a place for your wedding ceremony; the reception happens somewhere else. The church doesn't publish a page about weddings online, so call the church office to ask whether couples who aren't members can get married here, which dates are possible and what the church asks of you. The Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau includes Big Spring in its list of local wedding venues.

On the day, guests come in through the west vestibule, the main entrance, which opens straight into the sanctuary and is the entrance that accommodates wheelchairs. There is designated parking along the church's upper driveway. After the ceremony, the stone church and its grounds are a natural first stop for pictures with your family and wedding party before you leave. The graveyard holds the graves of Revolutionary War soldiers, so ask the church before planning any pictures among the stones. For your wedding video, ask where your videographer may stand and whether microphones can be placed at the front.

• Call the church office early to ask about dates and whether membership is required.
• Ask about photography and video guidelines during the service.
• Walk the church and grounds with your photographer and videographer before the wedding day.

A little about Big Spring Presbyterian Church

The congregation's first log meeting house went up beside the Big Spring in 1737, and the present stone church was built in 1789. In 1790 the church trustees laid out the town of Newville on church-owned land. The mural behind the pulpit was given to the church in 1927.