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Your Wedding Day The Wedding Liturgy: The final decisions regarding the liturgy and the order of the procession are arrived at in conjunction with the presiding priest. Readings and options for the liturgy are in the Together For Life book. The Parish Music Director will walk you through the process of developing your liturgy and explain the guidelines for the selection of music. Please call the music department directly and make an appointment with Curtis Wallace or Charles Thatcher at 407 628-2346 The Marriage License: When all of your paperwork is finished, call Pam at the church office so that she can issue your certificate to be presented at the county clerk’s office. This way, you may receive a reduced fee. Bring the license to the church office ahead of time or to the rehearsal. The church coordinator will fill it out and have the witnesses sign it before the ceremony begins. The Parish Wedding Coordinator: The parish provides the services of a trained person who oversees the actual time that you are here on your wedding day. This person is charged with fulfilling several responsibilities. First, to insure that the liturgical practice of the parish is observed and that you and your guests have a prayerful experience of the sacraments that are celebrated. Secondly, to assure that the policies of the church are followed in keeping with the reverence appropriate to the space and to the occasion. The parish wedding coordinator is briefed by the priest as to the details that you have agreed upon with him in terms of the readings and the order of the procession into the sanctuary. Some of the specific functions are to serve as sacristan, to see that the photographer stays within church guidelines, and to make sure the timing of the ceremony is kept on schedule. This entails dealing with the ushers in making sure that the guests are seated, assembling the wedding party in the proper order for the opening procession, and coordinating the timing among the musicians, the presiding priest, and the wedding party. We strive to reassure couples that their wedding ceremony will be a reverent and meaningful liturgical occasion, however our experience has taught us that certain policies and restrictions must be in place. What follows is a summary of these. Commercial Wedding Coordinators: Commercial wedding coordinators are great for keeping the secular part of your wedding day running smoothly. If you have hired a wedding coordinator, please let them know that we deal directly with you and that we are in charge of all matters pertaining to your time here at the Church. Groom, Ushers and Groomsmen: The groom should arrive at least ½ hour before the time of the wedding. If he is not planning on greeting his guests in the foyer, he should go to the sacristy. The ushers and groomsmen are the unsung heroes of the wedding party. Ask ushers to be attentive and approach the guests and tell them that they can be seated, and ask if they would like to be escorted. Discourage too much visiting in the foyer of the church, as guests tend to arrive at the last minute and delay the assembly of the procession if the foyer is too congested. Seating of guests by the ushers will be suspended at 10 minutes before the hour so that they may take their places and be ready for the commencement of the ceremony. Last minute guests will be directed by the coordinator to be seated by the side aisles. Bride and Bridesmaids: The bride should arrive at least ½ hour before the time of the wedding. Unless she and the groom will be greeting their guests as they arrive, she waits in the Vestry for the ceremony to begin. Hopefully the bridesmaids will arrive with the bride. Hairdressers, make-up artists, ironing boards, etc. are not permitted in the vestry. The space available in the vestry is too small to accommodate dressing and or makeup preparation before the ceremony. Please arrive dressed, makeup applied and hair ready. Some brides prefer to bring their dress on a hanger and put it on in the vestry. This works well, however, we do emphasize that emotions are running high enough without the added chaos of makeup and hair preparations at the last minute. It is not in keeping with proper church practice for the bride to wait in her car until the last minute before entering the church. As a member of the worshiping congregation, she should be in the sanctuary before the music begins for the procession. Some brides choose to have pictures taken on the church grounds before the ceremony. If there is a wedding preceding your own, please be aware that the wedding party will most likely be taking pictures in the church until ½ hour before yours is to begin. However, the gardens surrounding the church provide a lovely background for pictures. Parents: It is becoming a common practice for both the bride and groom to be escorted by both of their respective parents. You may want to think about including your parents in this way. Unless the mothers are escorting their children to the altar, they usually begin the procession, the mother or the bride can walk alone or escorted by a person that you have chosen; the mother of the groom may walk with the father of the groom or with another escort of your choosing. We ask them to take their places at the threshold of the entrance door at 10 minutes before the hour. This way last minute guests know to seat themselves down the side aisles and that the ceremony is about to begin. Guest Book: If you are having a guest book at the church, it may be placed on the round table in front of the glass window in the foyer. The small table to the left of the center threshold inside the church is reserved for the gifts. If you must move any of the print materials on the center table, they must be returned to their proper place before you leave. We will ask that the guest book be removed 15 minutes before the ceremony begins, so that guests may be seated promptly. Please advise the person in charge of the guest book of these details. Readers: All of the readings listed in the Together For Life book are available in large print and will be put out on the ambo for the convenience of the readers. You may want to tell your readers to go up to the ambo before the ceremony and review the reading so that they are comfortable with the environment as well as the reading itself. Gifts: The hosts and sacramental wine are set out on the small table to the right of the entrance threshold. Tell the assigned gift bearers that they are to come to the table after the Prayers of the Faithful. Children: The preference is that any children included in the bridal party be at least 5 years of age, since younger children tend to be shy and unsure of how to follow directions. If you are having children under 5, please see that they are accompanied by an adult at all times and be open to the possibility that the child may not be able to participate at the last minute. The Worship Space: (flowers) The church is decorated according to the seasons of the liturgical year. You may wish to call the Parish Wedding Coordinator to find out what seasonal decorations will be in place at the time of your wedding. The environment as set up for the liturgical season cannot be altered, but you may bring 2 additional flower arrangements; we can provide pedestals. Also, many brides choose to put bows at the ends of some of the pews. Your flowers must be removed immediately following your wedding. Plants, banners and other church furnishings or decorations may not be moved or removed from the worship space. Please assign someone to distribute corsages, boutonnières, and bouquets, and also to dispose of boxes used by the florist to transport these (sometimes people give them to the chauffer and he puts them in the trunk of the limousine).
Sorry, these are no, no’s: - Unity Candles are not part of our parish’s practice. As Catholics, the Eucharist unites us all in Christ. Thus using a unity candle ceremony in the context of a wedding liturgy to symbolize the uniting of the two families is redundant. We will be happy to provide you with appropriate prayer services that incorporate the use of a unity candle which can be used at your rehearsal dinner or as a prayer before your wedding banquet. - No food or beverages are allowed in the vestry or the sacristy, there is bottled water available. - Absolutely no alcoholic beverages of any kind are allowed on church property!! Please advise your wedding party that not adhering to this request is considered disrespectful and irreverent. - The use of rice, confetti, birdseed, flower petals or bubbles is not permitted in the church or on the grounds. - Makeup artists or hairdressers are not allowed in the vestry. The bride and bridesmaids should be ready when they arrive at the church. - Receiving lines after the ceremony are not permitted at the church. Please plan to have your receiving line at the reception, unless you plan on greeting your guest as they arrive at the church, which is encouraged. - Aisle runners are also not permitted. The church has carpeting, making runners unnecessary and a possible danger, as they tend to be slippery. - Candles and candelabras (other than those already in the sanctuary or altar area) may not be used. Photography and Video Read the guidelines carefully and give your photographer the extra copy included. Sometimes, the sense of urgency that photographers tend to bring to their task can create tension if they cannot adapt to our guidelines. Please be supportive of the church in seeing that the guidelines are followed. Remember, you have only 20-25 minutes to take pictures after the end of your ceremony, if your wedding begins on time. If the wedding begins late, your time for pictures will be cut short. Please note: as stated above, it is your responsibility that the photographers are made aware of the parish guidelines. Video cameras are allowed, but they must be on a tripod and kept stationary throughout the ceremony. They may be set up on the landing beside the organ. If you will have two, the other must remain behind the last pew, also stationary. Please be advised that if you are running late, we cannot delay the commencement of the ceremony for the sake of getting more pictures or all of the video that you may have wished. After the ceremony, the bridal party is escorted to the Vestry where they are kept apart from the guests. Exchanging congratulations with guests at this time would delay the beginning of your photo session. When the guests have emptied the pews, the wedding party is escorted through another door, down a side aisle to the foot of the altar. Please tell the bridal party to stay within hearing range of the photographer, so that you don’t cause delay in assembling the group shots. You may want to let extended family know ahead of time if you want them to be included in the pictures and invite them to join you at the foot of the altar after the ceremony. A Note on Tidiness: As members of our parish, you are using the sacred space of the community for the private celebration of a sacrament. There are up to three weddings scheduled on a given Saturday, and the 5pm Mass follows closely after a 3 pm wedding. You provide the larger community with an essential service by seeing to it that the space you use is left in order for those who follow. Assign someone to make sure that the vestry is tidied after the ceremony, remove and store pew bows, flower arrangements, and any boxes or vases left by the florist. Also, all personal possessions should be cleared from the vestry and sacristy. The following details may seem petty, however they would not be included in this pamphlet if these circumstances did not arise time after time.
Dear Photographers: Most local photographers are familiar with and adhere to the policy, which was agreed upon several years ago by all the churches in Winter Park. We thank you in advance for you attention to these guidelines. Please check in with the wedding coordinator when you arrive. Pictures of the wedding procession may be taken from mid aisle. As soon as the bride has reached the altar, the photographer must remain stationary, behind the last pew, and refrain from using any flash until the Mass and or wedding ceremony is over. Photographers and cameras (video and still) are not permitted in the sanctuary (altar area). Video cameras are allowed, but they must be on a tripod and kept stationary throughout the ceremony. They may be set up on the landing beside the organ. If you will have two, the other must remain behind the last pew, also stationary. Our policy for group pictures after the ceremony is to allow pictures to be taken on the following schedule: After the 11:00 am ceremony, pictures may be taken until 12:20 After the 1:00 pm ceremony, pictures may be taken until 2:20 After the 3:00 pm ceremony, pictures may be taken until 4:20 This schedule has been determined by the need to set up for the following ceremony in the case of the 11am and the 1pm weddings, and because of the 5 o’clock Mass which follows the 3pm wedding. After the ceremony, the bridal party is escorted to the Vestry where they are kept apart from the assembled guests so that they will not be caught up in a receiving line. When the guests have emptied the pews, the bridal party will be escorted through another door, down a side aisle to the foot of the altar. We ask that you use this time to set up your equipment, rather than following the couple into the vestry. We would like to emphasize that our relationship is with the couple, as members of our faith community. We are not in the wedding “business”. Our policies are determined by the needs of the community as a whole. There is a 5pm Mass every Saturday, and people like to come to the church early to pray. If the ceremony begins late or runs longer than the usual hour, please consider that you may have less than 25 minutes for pictures. We suggest that you prioritize the group pictures so that you cover the essentials and then finish taking your formal pictures at the reception or outside on the church grounds. If the wedding coordinator announces the time and asks you to wrap up your session, please cooperate and understand that the intent is not to thwart your efforts at providing professional service. We ask that photographers respect the needs of the community and adhere to our time constraints.
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