Call the Parish Office and schedule a meeting with a clergy member. During the initial meeting you can set a wedding date. Only after speaking with a priest can a date be confirmed. 

The wedding date should be at least 6 months after that first meeting. A couple must be free to marry in the Catholic Church. If either person has been previously married, no date can be set until their freedom to marry has been determined.

The Presider will assist you in scheduling your wedding date in conjunction with the parish calendar.

Weddings are normally held on Saturdays no later than 2 PM or after 7 / 7:30 PM. Other times on Saturday are not available due to conflicts with the parish Mass and Reconciliation schedule. Excluding Sundays, weddings may be arranged on other days at the presider's discretion.

Please be aware that the Catholic Church does not recommend that weddings be held during Advent (between Thanksgiving and Christmas) and during Lent (between Ash Wednesday and Easter) in order to preserve the nature of these seasons.

Scheduling Your Rehearsal 

When scheduling your wedding ceremony, a rehearsal date and time will also be set. Typically, the rehearsal takes place the Friday evening before the wedding day.

• You may not move any decorations or flowers (even temporarily) that are present for a specific liturgical feast day / season (often but not limited to Christmas and Easter). These have been added by the Parish based on the liturgical event and may not be altered.
• You may not relocate any equipment or furnishings.
• You may not use tape or any other adhesive on any of the wood in the church.
• Floral arrangements may be placed in front of either (or both) altar candles (see first item), the ambo, and/or designated places around the sanctuary (ask for specifics). After the wedding, please remove all flowers that were brought for the wedding.
• Bows or flowers may be placed at the ends of the pews along the center aisle as long as care is taken not to damage the wood finish on the pews.
• Candelabras may be rented from a local florist and placed behind the altar, framing the crucifix (ask about placement).
• The use of an aisle runner is discouraged, as it presents a tripping hazard, especially for the elderly.
• Dropping of flower petals is not allowed, as they stain the carpet, and faux petals are not permitted.
• Throwing of rice or any other material outside of church is not permitted—this is a safety issue. However, bubbles are allowed.
• The church must be returned to its normal state before 3:45 PM (in the case of a 2:00 PM wedding) or by 9:00 PM (for a 7:00 PM wedding) on Saturday. This means that any decorations are removed, stray programs have been collected, any debris has been discarded, etc. This clean-up process is the responsibility of the wedding party / family, not the priest and parish staff.

• Pictures may be taken either inside or outside the church before or after the wedding. However, any photography prior to the wedding must be finished at least half an hour before the wedding begins.  When planning the pictures, remember that some pictures can be easily taken before the wedding as a courtesy to your guests, thereby preventing an extended wait between the wedding and the reception. Pictures that require more people or more setup should be planned out in advance.
• Flash photography is not permitted during the liturgy (meaning after the procession and ending with the recessional), as this disrupts the service. Non-flash photography is acceptable throughout.
• Videographers may film from a fixed location. Ask the Presider or liturgy director for more information.
• Photographers and videographers may not film from the sanctuary (the raised area containing the altar and ambo). At all times, they should remain respectful of the events taking place on the altar and inconspicuous to the assembly.

Typically, the parish pastor, parochial vicar, or a deacon witness marriages.

If you have a relative, or a friend who is a priest or deacon, we welcome them to officiate a wedding at our parish. Please be sure to coordinate the necessary details with our pastor.

Please note, any priest or deacon from outside the Diocese of Jefferson City planning to celebrate or assist with a wedding ceremony at our parish requires a current Letter of Good Standing from their Bishop or the Superior of their order.

The Catholic church designates specific Biblical readings / Scriptures as particularly relevant and effective in the context of matrimony.  These readings emphasize several theological points, including the covenant nature of the Sacrament and its connection to the covenant relationship between God and humanity.  A list of options can be found at the following web site:

https://www.foryourmarriage.org/readings/

This site also provides some additional explanation regarding their use in the liturgy, but please feel free to contact the priest with specific questions regarding the structure of the Mass / Service.

Music Documents:

Wedding Musician Contacts (.PDF file) - Updated periodically, includes info for both vocals and instruments
Wedding Music List (.PDF file) - List of approved music (please see notes at the end of this document for details about unlisted music)

Important Notes / Guidelines:

• Please contact musicians individually (and promptly) for a list of fees and services. IMPORTANT: if musicians are not booked until shortly before the wedding date, they have the option to charge premiums due to lack of preparation time, so please clarify any additional charges that could be assessed in your situation.
• You may ask outside musicians (family, friends, etc.) to provide the music for your wedding. However, we highly recommend that at least one of the musicians is Catholic, so that he/she will know the ebb and flow of the rituals. Any musicians hired from outside the parish should meet with the liturgy director ahead of time.
• Pre-recorded music is not permitted in any fashion.
• Candle lighting should be done during the prelude music, about 5-7 minutes ahead of the seating of the mothers. We do not recommend a “Candle lighting song,” since candles are notorious for taking longer to light than the allotted song provides.
• Because of the nature of the celebration, secular music (pop, rock, etc.) is not appropriate during the liturgy. The best place for “your song” is at the reception; however, if you would like to have it at the wedding, it must be approved in advance and should be used as a prelude. Once the liturgy proper has begun, all music should be sacred in nature.
• “Here Comes the Bride” and “The Wedding March” are not permitted for use in the Catholic Church because of the context in which they were written—making fun of marriage. However, there are many beautiful and uplifting pieces of music that can be used for the processional and recessional. Your keyboardist will have options from which to choose.
• The Gathering song is an option in the wedding liturgy; it takes place immediately following the processional. Catholic liturgies (even weddings!) are participatory—all those assembled are called to “full, conscious, and active” participation. The advantage of a gathering song is that it gets people involved right away. If you choose this option, select something that everyone knows. The liturgy director will have suggestions if you need them.
• Since "unity candles", "unity sand", etc. are not a part of the Catholic rites for matrimony, they cannot be included during the liturgy.  However, couples could include them as part of the reception activities.

Reserving the church is done with the help of the presider, not the parish office. Parish staff members have no authority to schedule weddings, but they may tell you the dates and times that are open on the parish calendar. 

Reservation Fees

There is no fee for parishioners to use the church facilities for a wedding celebration. However, all areas need to be returned to their original state immediately afterward. Practicing Catholics not belonging to this parish will be charged a nominal fee of $200.00.