WEDDINGS

You are in love with each other and want to take the next step of getting married. Marriage is a beautiful Sacrament of the Catholic Church. This moment for the church it may be called, ceremony, liturgy or liturgical celebration. This is the time you both decided to say I do to each other in the sight of God, family, and friends. The Catholic Church views this union as a sign of faithful love. This sacramental journey is shared with the church community and is considered a final union between a man and a woman. At the final blessing, you both will now be husband and wife, a beautiful moment, together for life.

Before this union can take place, lots of planning needs to be done, and planning a wedding can sometimes get overwhelming. At Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, a wedding coordinator, will be provided to assist in all matters. There are many steps to be taken for the church and outside of the church. First, you must meet with the priest six months before the wedding date. After counseling, you must get a marriage certificate and return it to the church office. Then, the planning for the ceremony will take place.

Service Times...

Weddings may be held any day. Most participants prefers, Friday evenings, Saturday morning, or Saturday afternoon. There will be a wedding rehearsal day before the wedding ceremony. The wedding coordinator will meet with the couple and their personal coordinator to speak of logistics. The wedding coordinator will also assist with the details of the Mass.

Family Participation...

We believe that nothing expresses a celebration better than the involvement of family members and friends in the Mass. Below are opportunities in the Mass where family and friends can participate:

Words of Remembrance
Proclaimers of the Word (1st and 2nd Readings lectors)
General Intercessions / Prayers of the Faithful
Presentation of Gifts (bringing up the Bread and Wine during Offertory)
Serving as a Eucharistic Minister (if the person has been commissioned within a Catholic faith and traditions
Choosing of music

Readings...

For the family's convenience, wedding Mass readings can be found online (click for readings). The order of celebrating matrimony requires specific scripture readings. The couple can select the readings of their choosing or have the Wedding Coordinator make the selections on their behalf. Alternate selections of sacred scripture may be considered but they must be approved by the priest or deacon. If the family cannot provide the lectors, the parish will see that the readings are proclaimed. The priest or the wedding coordinator may give you a guide book to help with choosing the readings. Intercession/Prayers of the Faithful may be read by family members, friends, or a Deacon. The Wedding Mass Planner will provide you with reading options for the service.

Music...

A wedding liturgy is a public act of worship of the church. The parish is ultimately responsible for the music in the liturgy. The music that is chosen must be sacred music. The parish Wedding Coordinator and the Director of Music may assist you with choosing music that would be appropriate for the Wedding Mass.
The Music Director must approve the entrance song or instrumental music. The preparation of the gifts and communion hymn should be songs that the congregation can participate in and is encouraged to sing, as well as the usual service music and responses. Solos may be performed at the meditation after communion and are more appropriate as a prelude, during the presentation of the gifts, and as a postlude after the recessional.

A cantor and accompanist are needed for the Mass. Other musicians are allowed, but they must be knowledgeable about the liturgy of the Catholic Church and approved by the Director of Music. All music must be approved by the music director for liturgical and sacred appropriateness. Secular music is not allowed. The Wedding Mass Planner below will provide intercession suggestions for the service.

Entrance Procession...

The order of entrance is as follows: servers, the presider, then all others in the wedding party will enter according to the wishes of the couple. Musicians are not part of the procession. They are to be up front in the music ministry area leading the congregation in the entrance or recessional song.

Homily...

The homily is the sermon by the priest or deacon after the Gospel. It is meant to be a reflection of one Christian’s duty within the unity of the sacrament of Matrimony.

Presentation of the Gifts...

We encourage family members to bring the gifts forward as a symbolic way of offering their loved ones to God. We encourage Catholics to receive communion under both species. If you have family members trained and commissioned as Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist (even from another parish), they can assist. Otherwise, the parish will provide Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.