Marriage is the committed, lifelong union between a man and a woman. It is celebrated and contracted as a solemn covenant before the presence of God, and in the company of at least two witnesses. The union of husband and wife in heart, body and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy, for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity, and, when it is God’s will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord.
The clergy, staff and congregation of St. Andrew’s want each wedding to be glorious. For that reason, the church has published policies for all weddings held at St. Andrew’s. Experience has taught us that the wedding of which you have dreamed will be much enhanced with all parties concerned being familiar with the policies from the beginning.
Because marriage is a sacrament of the church, and because, as the Book of Common Prayer warns, marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, each couple seeking to be married at St. Andrew’s must meet the following policies:
◊ At least one party (but preferably both) must be a confirmed member of St. Andrew’s. Those getting married within a church are saying that they want their family life to become part of the life of the parish. We look forward to incorporating those couples marrying at St. Andrew’s into our church family.
◊ The couple must consent to the Church’s belief about the nature of Holy Matrimony, and must sign the Declaration of Intent testifying to that consent.
◊ The couple must participate in premarital counseling with the rector or associate rector of St. Andrew’s.
◊ No wedding date is put on the calendar officially until the premarital counseling has begun and the rector approves the date.
◊ The couple must fill out and return promptly the Wedding Information papers to the Wedding Coordinator. Once a couple has started their pre-marital counseling with the clergy and the wedding date has been approved by the rector, the couple may begin working with St. Andrew’s Wedding Coordinator who will be available to assist them with the wedding details.
◊ The marriage service will follow the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.
◊ Marriages are not performed during Advent, Lent, nor on Sundays.
◊ Sacred music is very important to St. Andrew’s and we have developed an extensive list of music that has been approved by our Choirmaster. If you have a request for music not on this list, St. Andrew’s Choirmaster will be glad to discuss this with you.
If you are not a member of St. Andrew’s and would like to find out how to become a member, please call us. We would love for you to become a part of our St. Andrew’s family! Also feel free to call our church office so we can answer any questions you might have regarding weddings here at St. Andrew’s. Parish office hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm. The phone number is (817) 332-3191.