At Old Saint Mary's Cathedral + Chinese Mission, weddings are usually scheduled on Saturdays at 10AM, 1:00 and 3:00PM. Weddings may also be scheduled at 6:30PM, or on Sunday at 1:30 or 3:00PM.

 

During Lent and on certain solemn feasts, the Church discourages the celebration of weddings. These matters and their possible impact on your celebration can be discussed when scheduling your ceremony.

 

A nonrefundable deposit of $500, applied to the church donation, $2000, or $2500 for evening or Sunday weddings, secures the date for your wedding. The fee is for the use of Old Saint Mary's. The services of the priest who will assist you prepare and celebrate your wedding, an organist and a soloist. are additional. If additional liturgical musicians are requested, by Archdiocesan policy, we must arrange and pay for them through Old Saint Mary's.

 

Since 6:30 PM weddings require our sacristan to stay overtime, an additional fee is required.

 

It is essential that your wedding start on time. Other weddings or church services may be scheduled immediately after your wedding and the musicians or presider may have other commitments. If the wedding is delayed more than 15 minutes, picture taking after the service may be restricted or omitted. Or it may be necessary to use the simple rite of marriage rather than celebrate the full Eucharist.

 

Ushers or groomsmen who will seat guests or distribute programs should plan to arrive half an hour before the service is to begin. Other members of the wedding party should arrive no later than 10-15 minutes before the ceremony.

Please note: the Catholic Church requires at least 6 months for marriage preparation, and our church is often booked 6 months to a year in advance.

 

Dressing

Old Saint Mary's is a small, historic church. We have private space for the bride and some attendants to wait prior to the ceremony, but not to dress. Restroom facilities are limited; there is one restroom in the sacristy and others are at some distance from the church.

 

Parking

During your wedding ceremony, the white zone in front of the church (about four car spaces) is reserved for the bridal party for a period of two hours. Garages are located nearby for guests.

 

Decorum

We ask that you and your guests honor the sacredness of the church building where our community gathers for worship: please speak quietly; bring no food or drink into the church; do not run; do not stand on pews or chairs, even while taking pictures. The use of alcohol in the church or on the property at any time by members of the wedding party or guests is not allowed.

 

Old Saint Mary's is a community of faith open to all! Locking the doors during your wedding or keeping out visitors other than your guests is not in keeping with Christian hospitality or civil ordinances. Our sacristan monitors the activity of all visitors to ensure that the sacredness of the ceremony is respected.

 

The Rehearsal

The rehearsal allows those involved in the wedding to become familiar with the ceremony, the environment of our church building and the roles they will assume in the liturgy. Please let them know that it is important that they be at the rehearsal and be on time. Lectors and Eucharistic ministers should be present, although with advance notice, we can meet with them ahead of time if necessary. Musicians are not usually at the rehearsal.

 

Rehearsals are scheduled one or two days before the wedding at 3PM, 4PM and 5PM only. For your convenience, rehearsals will be completed within 45 minutes. We usually have multiple rehearsals on a given day, so if your party is late, only minimal parts of the service will be rehearsed. Please remind members of the wedding party to allow ample time for congested traffic and difficult parking conditions.

 

Bring the marriage license, certificate and envelope for the presider and others to the rehearsal. If you want a copy of the license, follow the directions included with the marriage license. Bring the unity candle if one is to be used. These can be set aside so that you will not need to worry about these things on your wedding day.