Before and After the Ceremony
Food and Drink
• No alcoholic beverages are permitted on church grounds before or after the wedding.
• Because of the serious nature of this sacrament, intoxication of a member of the wedding party will result in their being asked to step down from their role; intoxication of the bride or groom will result in cancellation of the ceremony.
• No food or drink are permitted in the church itself. If there is food or drink, make sure the area will be cleaned—either paying the parish for this service or cleaning up after yourselves.
Other Norms
• Signs on wedding vehicles must be in good taste, not vulgar or sexually explicit.
• Do not throw rice, birdseed, confetti, etc. on the church property—inside or out.
Fees
• Church Usage: $150 (made out to the parish in which you will be married).
• If you are a registered member within the Fort Recovery cluster and have contributed to the collection in the past year (envelopes received) –OR- if you will be a registered member of the parish after your marriage, this fee is waved.
• Organist: $125 (made out to the organist directly).
• If a deacon or visiting priest witnesses the wedding, it is a courtesy to give him a gratuity (we recommend at least $100). If a priest of the cluster witnesses, you may write a check to the parish as a gratuity, but witnessing this marriage enters within his obligation as a priest assigned to the parish and he will not keep gratuity for it.
• Fees should be paid by the day of the wedding rehearsal. Gratuity to visiting priests or deacons can be given at the rehearsal.
During the Ceremony
Music
• All music played in the church must be sacred music, suitable to the theology of marriage, appropriate for a wedding Mass, and appropriate to the part of the Mass in which it is used. This will preclude secular music such as pop songs or show tunes.
• Music must be approved by the priest, deacon, or organist one month prior to the wedding.
Decorations
• Seasonal decorations in the church, especially during Advent, Christmas, and Lent, must be incorporated into the wedding decorations, as these will not be rearranged for weddings.
Photography and Videography
• Professional photographers/videographers must speak to the priest or deacon before the wedding.
• They should be as unobtrusive as possible. They may use flash during the procession, but not from the front of the church. During the rest of the ceremony, they must not use flash and must remain in the back of the church or the choir loft, without becoming a distraction.
• The sanctuary is off-limits at all times for photographers.