Marriage in Trinity Episcopal Church

About Your Wedding at Trinity

We are pleased that you are considering marriage at Trinity Episcopal Church. The celebration of your marriage is a unique moment in your life, and preparation for it is important. Please be sure to read this entire document prior to your first meeting with the clergy.

Who can be married at Trinity?

At least one of the parties must be a baptized Christian; and
couples in which one or both are pledging members of Trinity or one of their parents is pledging member of Trinity Church,
or persons who are not members of a congregation, but who actively desire to become pledging members of Trinity Church.

Pre-Marital Instruction

The Episcopal Church specifies at least 30 days notice be given to the priest before he may officiate at any marriage. Make an appointment with the Rector (or another Episcopal priest designated by him) so that he may meet you and plan your pre-marital instruction. Church Law requires that the clergy see both of you and provide pre-marital instruction before giving permission for the marriage ceremony to take place in the church. In situations where the couple are living some place other than the greater Watertown area, they may receive their pre-marital instruction from a priest in that area. The Rector will be glad to make an initial contact on your behalf.

Divorced Persons

Persons who have been divorced will need to bring a copy of their final divorce decree to the first meeting with the priest. The Episcopal Church accepts the civil process for dissolution of marriage, but the consent of the Bishop must be obtained before re-marriage in the church.

The Officiant

Usually, the Rector of Trinity Church will officiate at all weddings. Other clergy, either of the Episcopal Church or of other denominations who have a special relationship with either the bride or bridegroom, may be invited by the Rector to assist in or officiate at the service.

The Nature of the Service

The “Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage” as contained in the Book of Common Prayer is used as the liturgical form for the service. The couple is asked to choose the scripture lessons, the readers of the lessons, the music (hymns, processional, recessional, soloist), whether or not they would like Holy Communion, and other particulars relating to the service. If there is Holy Communion, all baptized persons in the congregation are invited to partake of the bread and wine.

The Best Times for Weddings

Weddings are discouraged during Lent, and there are no weddings during Holy Week. During the Christmas season, the Christmas decorations would remain in the church.

Wedding Planners

The Officiant will, as a general rule, deal only with the bride and bridegroom. If you choose to engage wedding planners, please furnish them with a copy of these protocols.

Flowers

The bride and bridegroom are responsible for the cost of flowers for their wedding. Altar flowers must fit the church’s altar vases. A member of the Altar Guild will contact you about these arrangements. It is customary for the altar flowers to remain in the church for the Sunday following the wedding.

Candles

So-called “Unity” candles are not part of the Episcopal tradition, and Trinity does not allow their use during the service. They can, however, make an appropriate addition to marriage receptions.

Photographs

The bride and bridegroom may designate an official photographer to take pictures during the ceremony. The church requests that no one else take pictures during the ceremony. Advise your photographer not to take pictures using flash or strobe in the church during the ceremony. Photography after the service may not take longer than 30 minutes. Let the clergy know in advance if you want to include them in photographs following the service.

A video camera may be used if the location is unobtrusive and if the camera is on a tripod and left there throughout the ceremony.

Music

Music in Trinity Church is used as an offering for the glory of God and to help the congregation in their worship. It is important that music at a wedding support this purpose. Kyle P. Ramey, Organist and Choirmaster, will play for all weddings requiring organ music, unless he is unable to play because of his schedule. Please plan to meet with Mr. Ramey before finalizing your music choices. He may be reached at the parish office, (315) 788-6290.

Receptions in the Parish Hall

There will be no receptions held in the parish hall at this time.

Marriage License

The marriage license must be submitted to the parish office no later than 10 days before the wedding.

Fees

There is a cleaning fee of $50 for church weddings.

If Holy Communion is celebrated, it is customary to provide the worship assistant an honorarium of $25.

The fee for the Organist is $200, which includes a program of organ music preceding the wedding, playing for the wedding, attendance at the rehearsal and one consultation with the couple to choose music. There is an additional fee of $50 per hour to arrange for singers, soloists or instrumentalists and their attendance at rehearsals. If requested, the Organist will arrange for the steeple bells to be played for a fee of $75.

The Altar Guild receives a $50 contribution for preparing the church and for directing the wedding.

There are no additional fees, either for use of the church or for the services of the clergy, providing either the bride or bridegroom are pledging members of Trinity Church. For those who are not pledging members, there is an additional $400 fee, which covers both church usage as well as the priest’s honorarium.

The Rector will advise you of the exact breakdown of all fees and how they are to be distributed.