|
Sacraments
Weddings
St. Pius X Community
Marriage Guidelines
Weddings
are special and joyful times for brides and grooms, for their
families and friends, and for the parish community.
The new beginning, the love,
the promise and hope that weddings are for us make their
celebration a special and grace-filled time in our lives.
The church welcomes its members to celebrate and solemnize their
weddings in the context of our prayer as Christians. Indeed.
Marriage is so important in Christian life that it is called a
sacrament.
Great care is taken to see that the
prayer for this special moment is reverent, graceful, beautiful,
and open to the movement of God’s Spirit among us. Our
celebrations of the sacraments, marriage included, are always
rooted in listening to the scriptures so that we can be
nourished and strengthened by God’s word. Always, we celebrate
the sacraments as a community. We gather our brothers and
sisters in faith and ask for their prayerful support. These
celebrations are incomplete unless they are filled with song,
with prayerful gestures, and with silence in which we hear the
voice of God in our lives
In this spirit, St. Pius X provides the
attached guidelines for celebrating weddings in the building
that shelter the prayer of our community.
Revised
10/8/2008
I.
Marriage is a lifetime work -- one that requires some special
training and preparation. For this reason, certain policies and
guidelines have been developed on the diocesan and parish levels
to facilitate the preparation process:
a)
A
couple may call the parish office and inquire whether a
certain date is available for a wedding. However,
the date can only be made firm after the couple has talked
with one of the priests at St. Pius X., or if a *priest
from outside St. Pius X parish will be performing the
wedding celebration.
*An
outside priest must call the St. Pius X secretary to
confirm they will be the celebrant.
·
A one hundred and twenty-five ($125.00) check made out
payable to St. Pius X Church must be received within
seven (7) days to confirm your date.
·
If a priest from outside the parish is performing the
ceremony, a check for one hundred and fifty dollars
($150.00) must be received within seven days. * The
fees quoted in this document will be used as a stipend
to the priest and to reimburse someone to open and close
the church for the rehearsal and liturgy itself as well
as to cover the cost to the parish.
·
The charge for an “Inactive Parishioner” is $300 (unless
the St. Pius X Parish Pastor approves otherwise).
If the
retaining fee is not received within the allotted time, the date
will once again be considered an open date and made available to
others.
b)
This first contact with the priest should be made as
soon as possible. A meeting with the priest is necessary at
least six months prior to the wedding.
NOTE:
After talking with the priest, the couple should call
the parish hall manager, Mr. Rusty Collinsworth at
859-341-7175 between the hours 5:00 – 9:00 p.m., to
reserve the hall for the reception if they desire to
rent it.
c)
Weddings take place on Friday or Saturday evenings at either
6:30 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. or on Saturdays prior to 2:00 p.m.
No
one is to be in church or leave anything in the church for
the wedding until after the 5:00 p.m. Mass on Saturdays
(approximately 6:00 p.m.).
II. At
least one of the parties must be a registered member of the St.
Pius Community. If you will be residing within our parish
boundaries after the wedding, please remember to register at the
rectory.
III. All
events occurring inside the church are subject to the approval
of the parish priest. This includes music, decorations,
servers, florists, photographers, and other matters. The
following important areas deserve particular concern:
a)
DECORUM – The church is the house of God. A prayerful
attitude should be observed at the time of the rehearsal, as
well as before, during, and after the ceremony (including
picture-taking.) Food and drinks are NOT permitted in the
church gathering space, or in the room where the bride
waits. No beer and/or alcoholic beverages are to be
brought into the church area.
b)
PHOTOGRAPHERS – You are welcome to bring in a
photographer to help provide special memories of your day;
however, the photographer is to be reminded that he is a
guest in our church; the church is not to be used as a
studio. Photographic equipment should be as unobtrusive as
possible. Flash photography and additional lighting are not
permitted during the ceremony. All video equipment should be
located in the rear or on the side of the church. The
photographer is not allowed in the front of church after the
Mass or ceremony begins, nor are they to stand in front of
the aisle as the couples come down the aisle. Couples are
allotted a half-hour after the ceremony for pictures.
c) ATTITUDE – As stated above, a
reverent attitude must prevail. The altar is not to be used
as a utility table for cameras or other paraphernalia. No
furnishings (i.e. fern stands, chairs, etc.) or seasonal
decorations (i.e. Advent Wreath, Christmas Circle, etc.) may
be rearranged or removed without the permission of the
pastor or sacristan.
d) MUSIC – Music should reflect the
seriousness and dignity of the marriage sacrament; thus,
only sacred or classical music may be used. Secular love
songs are not appropriate and may be reserved for the
reception if desired. Wedding musicians should be
professionals who are comfortable leading all the responses
and are well versed in Catholic liturgy. If you have
friends or family members whom you would like to have sing
or play at your wedding, it is best to reserve one or two
special songs for them to perform and allow professional
musicians to handle the rest.
The parish music director, Rebecca
Slater, can supply professional music for your wedding
ceremony. She can supply organ, piano, and/or vocal music
and can help you choose appropriate and beautiful selections
for your wedding. She can also arrange for professional
cantors and instrumentalists as desired. Her fee is $200,
which includes singing and/or playing your wedding as needed
and one consultation/planning meeting. Any additional
rehearsals/meetings may be scheduled for a fee of $50 per
hour.
If you intend to use musicians outside
the parish who have not been pre-approved by the parish, an
email or telephone consultation is required in order to
receive rules and guidelines for outside musicians. For all
non-approved musicians, the music director must approve the
music selections. The music director can supply a
consultation meeting to help plan music for outside
musicians for a fee of $50 per hour.
e)
FLORIST DECORATIONS – In addition to corsages,
boutonnieres and bouquets, you may desire to place floral
arrangements in church. Ordinarily, bridal couples order
two floral displays for either side of the sanctuary
platform. No flowers are to be placed on the altar. The
parish can supply a “unity candelabra.” Flowers for the
bridal party (boutonnieres, bouquets, corsages, etc.) are to
be delivered to the bench in the church foyer, not placed
inside the church room. Flowers for the sanctuary are to be
placed there by the florist or a family member. If you are
ordering special candelabras from the florist, the candles
must be dripless. Any wax dripped onto the sanctuary carpet
will be professionally removed and charged to the couple.
The florist or family member MUST remove from the premises
all their equipment, boxes, and materials within one-half
hour after the wedding, including aisle candles. (This is
necessary so that the church is ready for the early morning
mass the next day.) Nothing may be affixed to the pews with
tape. Only padded clamps may be used to fasten candles or
other items to the pews. Any damage done to the finish of
the pews will be charged to the couple.
f) RESPONSIBILITY – It is up to
the couple to inform photographers, musicians and florists
of these guidelines. The name of your florist and
photographer must be included on your liturgy-planning
sheet.
g)
RICE – No rice, confetti, birdseed or other
“throwables” may be used under any circumstances (safety and
janitorial reasons.) For the same reason, no flower petals
can be thrown on the aisle.
h)
RUNNER - An aisle runner may be used, but for safety
reasons, it is not recommended. Should you insist on using
one, our aisle is 75 feet long.
i)
BRIDE & BRIDESMAIDS – They may use the choir room.
Please refer to Section III, article (a) regarding
regulations for use of this room.
j)
PROCESSION – The wedding procession is part of the
Liturgical entrance procession. Neither the aisle nor the
procession is meant to be a sort of runway for displaying
dresses or participants. It is the beginning of the liturgy
and the entrance of the ministers. The procession should
have the same tone, reverence, and atmosphere that the
liturgy has. For this reason, THE WEDDING PARTY SHOULD
CONSIST OF NO MORE THAN SIX COUPLES!!!
k) SMALL CHILDREN – Although they may look cute, children
UNDER THE AGE OF 7 ARE NOT PERMITTED TO TAKE PART IN
THE WEDDING PROCESSION. The unpredictability of
young children can take away from the dignity that should be
present during the bridal procession.
l)
ONLY COUPLES who are part of the procession are
permitted around the altar for the exchange of vows. Extra
ushers and junior bridesmaids are to remain in their pews at
this time.
m)
THE WEDDING PARTY and all others who are to be in the
photographs after the wedding, should return to the
sanctuary IMMEDIATELY after the recessional for
photographs. A receiving line or the “dismissal” of the
congregation by the bride and groom is not permitted.
n)
BECAUSE of the penitential nature of the season, we
do not allow weddings during the Lenten Season.
o)
THE CUSTOM of dedicating flowers to the Blessed
Mother is not very effective visually because of the
position of the Holy Family statue. However, if the bride
does have a devotion to Our Lady, she may certainly take
flowers to her statue.
p)
THE PRIEST presiding at the wedding is responsible
for the design of the ceremony and for conducting the
rehearsal. So-called “wedding planners” or “wedding
coordinators” are not permitted to function during the
liturgical part of the wedding.
The wedding party may not use the
downstairs hall before the ceremony unless they have rented
it for the reception that evening.
We are happy that you want to have a
Catholic church wedding. It is always a great experience when
the church celebrates the sacraments. It is a true blessing for
our parish as well as for the couple.
We hope that these guidelines and policies
are of help to you in preparing a religious ceremony in which
all of us proclaim our faith in God and our desire to fulfill
God’s wishes for us.
If you have any questions about these
policies and guidelines, please feel free to contact the parish
office.
RETURN TO TOP
|
