St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Churchfinding God in life and community... |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
CELEBRATING YOUR WEDDING
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
This significant and holy event marks the beginning of a
life-long commitment. It is an event that will live on
long after the ceremony is over. Your special day will be
filled with many dreams, a day when your family and friends will
gather to share a special moment in your lives.YOUR MARRIAGE IS A SACRAMENT
Since you are asking to have your special day celebrated within the
Catholic Church, it is important to keep in mind the sacramental
aspect of this day. The Church will bless and protect
your gift of marriage, and so sees your wedding as a holy and
social event. For this reason, we ask that during your
preparation period you both remain honest and open to the working of
God’s spirit in your lives.In asking to have your wedding celebrated in the Catholic Church, it is important that Catholic parties attend Mass and receive Eucharist regularly. Failure in this area is taken seriously and may cause your wedding to be delayed or canceled in this parish. If an engaged couple cannot in conscience accept the responsibilities of membership in the Catholic Church, there is serious question as to whether or not they are called to the Sacrament of Marriage in the Catholic Church. Your wedding day and marriage is not an event of magic but rather an honest proclamation of your faith lives. What you are about to proclaim publicly within the Church needs to be lived honestly before and after your wedding ceremony. A marriage does not become holy merely because it is celebrated in a church. For this reason, it is better for couples who have little or no attachment to or identification with the Catholic Church to develop this before approaching marriage. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1622): Inasmuch as it is a sacramental action of sanctification, the liturgical celebration of marriage . . . must be, per se, valid, worthy and fruitful. It is therefore appropriate for the bride and groom to prepare themselves for the celebration of their marriage by receiving the sacrament of penance. With this in mind, we now present to you our parish policy and guidelines for weddings at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Del City, Oklahoma. CONVALIDATION
In the case of a couple who has married
contrary to the laws of the Church, convalidation is permitted after
the couples have completed the preparational steps required.
It is the actual exchange of consent that forms a marriage; not
simply the renewal of the consent previously exchanged in another
setting.COUPLES NOW LIVING TOGETHERYou are aware the Catholic Church does not approve of couples living together before marriage, but instead encourages couples to live up to Catholic Christian standards before their wedding. We are happy to witness your marriage so that your living arrangements can be brought into harmony with God’s law. If the couple agrees to live apart until the wedding, the same arrangements can be made as for a couple not living together. If this is not possible, the same restrictions apply as if the wedding were in Advent or Lent (page 3).DATE FOR YOUR WEDDINGYour wedding date request must be made at least six months prior to the actual date of the wedding. This will allow each couple to work within the parish program.WEDDINGS DURING ADVENT OR LENTBecause these are seasons of the Church year set aside for penitence and spiritual renewal, wedding celebrations are discouraged during these times. However, a wedding is allowed if it is in keeping with the character of the season. Church laws require that it be a simple wedding. Large wedding parties with several attendants, flower girl or ring bearer are not allowed. The number of attendants is restricted to a best man and a maid or matron of honor. There are to be no floral decorations or candelabra. Flowers may be carried and simple pew bows used.PLACE FOR YOUR WEDDINGThe church is the presumed place for Catholic weddings. The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has a policy that all Catholic weddings are celebrated within a Catholic church. No Catholic wedding may take place in a private garden, boat or wedding chapel.INTERFAITH MARRIAGES
It is important that marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics
require that both parties spend time growing in their understanding
and appreciation of each other’s faith. Your wedding day
should speak of what you both have in common. For this
reason, we strongly recommend a wedding ceremony for all interfaith
weddings rather than a nuptial Mass. Your priest/deacon
will help you with this area.PRE-MARRIAGE CONFERENCES
It is your responsibility to register and attend these conferences.
The priest/deacon will provide conference registration information.The Catholic Engaged Encounter Weekend offers engaged couples a weekend where they can gather together to deepen the sacramental aspect of their relationship. Married couples and a priest present the programs, which begin Friday evening and continue through Saturday evening. It is a good time for each engaged couple to put aside the busy schedules and just spend time with each other and other couples who are preparing for marriage. Each weekend is limited in its number of couples, so we ask that you do not wait until the last minute to make your reservation. PERSONAL MEETINGS WITH THE
PRIEST/DEACON
Along with marriage preparation programs, you are asked to meet with
the priest/deacon to cover all areas of your preparation for the
Sacrament of Marriage, whether you celebrate your wedding in a nuptial
Mass or a wedding ceremony. At the back of this wedding booklet, the
required documents are listed. All items need to be
completed before your wedding can take place.WEDDING REHEARSALS
Out of courtesy and respect for all involved, it is very important
that you and your wedding party are on time for rehearsal.
We ask that no one bring food or drink into the church for the
rehearsal or the wedding.SCHEDULED TIMES FOR WEDDINGS
The date and time for the wedding will be arranged with the priest
/deacon.Because of Masses, Baptisms and Confessions, it is important that the rehearsal and the wedding begin on time. If the wedding party is not on time, postponement of the wedding by the priest/deacon is possible. MARRIAGE LICENSE
Each couple is responsible for getting their marriage license.
You must bring your marriage license to the wedding rehearsal.
A marriage certificate will be given to you immediately after
the ceremony. Our parish secretary will send the marriage
license to the district court clerk’s office.BANNS
Your names will be published in the St. Paul the Apostle Church
bulletin a few weeks before the marriage date unless you request the
banns not be published.MUSIC FOR YOUR WEDDING
A Church wedding is a religious ceremony; therefore, the music you
choose for your wedding should be appropriate for a religious
ceremony. Each couple is expected to share with the
priest/deacon all music involved with their wedding and comply with
our parish guidelines.Each couple is responsible for arranging music and musicians for their wedding ceremony. Our parish musicians are open to assisting couples in arranging for music. Couples are responsible for finding out the appropriate fee for their musicians. Fees for musicians should be made payable in the name of the musician chosen for your wedding and paid in advance. WEDDING DONATION
Wedding donation for parishioners registered for at least one year:
$150 Wedding donation for non-parishioners: $300 These fees help with the church expenses incurred with your wedding and include the stipend to the priest/deacon for his services. We ask that this fee be made payable to St. Paul the Apostle Church and paid in full, or at least one-half of the amount, at the time the date is set with the priest/deacon. If the donation is not paid in full within three weeks after the priest/deacon confirms the date, the date will be canceled and made available to someone else. If there is a cancellation the donation is non-refundable. PHOTOGRAPHY
Only one photographer and one video recorder are allowed in the
sanctuary area (around the altar). Inform the
photographer that he or she should see the priest/deacon before
setting up the equipment. No posed pictures are allowed
during the ceremony.CHURCH ENVIRONMENT AND FLOWERS
Our church environment is based upon the liturgical season and will
not be changed for wedding ceremonies. Flowers purchased
by the couples, not the church, may be used but should not obstruct
the movement of your wedding ceremony. The priest/deacon
should be consulted before the purchase of flowers, candles or other
decoration to be used in the church. Should you wish to
donate any floral arrangement to the church, know that it will be
appreciated.The use of any candleholders or floral arrangements in the main aisle or on pews needs to be done without any bare metal, wire or tape items. These tend to ruin the wood on our pews. PLEASE NOTE THE EXCEPTIONS IF THE WEDDING IS DURING THE SEASON OF ADVENT OR LENT. DRESSING ROOMS
Because of limited space, the church building does not provide rooms
for the wedding party to dress before the ceremony. If
the use of such a room is necessary, please contact the secretary in
the parish office to reserve a room in another building.RICE, BIRDSEED, CONFETTI, FLOWER
PETALS
Rice, birdseed, confetti or flower petals, etc., may not be used at
our parish – inside or outside of the church – out of respect for our
environment, safety and maintenance. These items pose a
hazard to people walking into our church and are difficult to clean
up. Please inform your family and wedding guests of this
parish policy.SMOKING, ALCOHOL AND FOOD IN
CHURCH AREAS
Church etiquette requests that no smoking be permitted within any room
in our church facility. As a parish policy, we ask that
no one bring food, gum or alcoholic drink to the wedding rehearsal or
wedding ceremony in the church.WEDDING CLEAN UP
Please remember to assign someone the duty of cleaning up after your
wedding. Items such as flower boxes, clothing, candles,
bows, aisle runners, hangers, programs etc., need to be picked up
immediately following your ceremony. This is important if
you are re-using flowers or candles at your reception.
Our parish thanks you for your attention in seeing that the church is
"picked-up" after the wedding.REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Rehearsal Date and Time: _________________________________________ Payment of Wedding Donation: _____________________________________ NOTE: Marriage license must be given to the priest/deacon. Download Book Here |