If you do NOT plan to serve champagne or other alcoholic drinks, the Fellowship Hall adjacent to the church sanctuary is a lovely place for receptions of up to 240 guests. There is an overflow room just up the hall for another 60 people. We cannot accommodate receptions with more than 300 guests. Donations fees for the booking of Wilshire's Reception Hall are detailed online on our expenses page.
The Fellowship Hall has vaulted ceilings, leaded glass windows, a large screen, spotlights, and sound system. Up to three microphones can be provided at no extra cost. The church does not provide a projector or computer for slide shows - you will need to provide your own.
Wilshire staff members will set up and take down a stage for the head table, which can seat up to eight people. We can also do a sweatheart arrangement with a table below for up to fourteen attendants. Buffet, cake and drink tableswill be set up for you. The cake table is 48" round, and the guest dining tables are 60" round. Each dining table seats a maximum of 8 guests.
You may choose any caterer you like. There are two service kitchens in our church that can be made available to the caterers, with a restaurant-sized refrigerator and freezer. Unfortunately, the church has not installed an ice machine. Cooking from scratch is not permitted, but Wilshire's ovens may be used to keep prepared food warm. Caterers are required to clean up all kitchens used and Wilshire staff will assist in clearing tables and disposing of trash.
Your caterer must supply linens, dishes, and all other settings needed. You may use candles in glass chimneys or votive candles on the tables. We do not allow sprinkles, sequins, confetti or glitter on the tables.
You may provide any sort of music or entertainment approriate for a church hall (no rap music please. There is a baby grand piano for your use. Dancing is permitted, though there is not a lot of room when the room is set-up for 240 guests, unless several tables are removed after the completion of the meal. It is not necessary to rent a dance floor as the Fellowship Hall has a pergo (synthetic wood) floor. You may have a band or DJ, but we discourage DJ's from bringing a lot of lighting and special effect equipment due to space limitations. Vendors have access to the room 3 hours before start time, so setups need to be simple.
The double doors adjacent to the parking lot give easy access to caterers, DJ's, florists, and musicians to unload and reload their equipment.
We have a nice separate room nearby that can be used for tea ceremonies, Pae Baek, or any other ethnically specific ceremonies. There is no charge for this use.
There is no time limit for receptions unless there is a previously scheduled event. The church closes at 10 pm and all receptions are expected to end no later than this time unless other arrangements are made in advance.
The time slot for a reception that follows an 11:00 am wedding is from 9 am to 2 pm. If the reception is following an afternoon wedding, then the time slot for the reception is from 2 pm - 8 pm. If the 11 am wedding is the first one booked on the day and a reception is desired at Wilshire, then the time for the recepetion can be extended to 3 pm and the afteternoon wedding would need to begin at 5 pm. This is ordinarily ample time for a reception unless a long program or dancing is planed. Weddings scheduled for 4 or 5 pm with receptions can last until 9:30 pm. We can do two weedings, but only one recption in a day due to the time needed for clean-up and resetting. The first wedding booked has the option of choosing whether or not to have a reception.
Wilshire United Methodist Church does not provide reception facilities unless the wedding ceremony is also booked at Wilshire. You may have a wedding without a reception, however.
Silver and Golden Anniversary parties can be held in our Fellowship Hall if they include a renewal of the vows of the couple.
Our Fellowship Hall is not available for private parties such as birthdays, or other family events.