Please make arrangements by calling the Parish Office at (914) 738-1449. There is a six month planning period required.
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WEDDING INFORMATION
OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP - ST. CATHARINE
PELHAM MANOR, NY
(914) 738-1449
MARRIAGE IS A SACRAMENT: In order for us to have jurisdiction to administer the Sacrament of Marriage one of the parties must be a Catholic who is a registered parishioner of this parish.
DATE, TIME, PLACE: To schedule a marriage ceremony both parties must meet with one of the priests or deacons. At that meeting the date and time will be set. This meeting must take place prior to scheduling a marriage ceremony. Weddings may be scheduled on Saturdays at 11:00AM, 1:00PM or 2:30PM. Friday afternoons are also available. On Sundays ceremonies only are available at 2:00PM or 3:00PM only. Nuptial Masses are not scheduled on Sundays. We do not schedule weddings on the second and fourth Sunday of the month when Baptisms are regularly scheduled. You may request anyone on the parish staff to perform your ceremony or you may invite a priest or deacon who is a friend. If someone from outside the staff is to perform the ceremony, please make this known at the time of your initial appointment. He will need delegation from a priest in the parish. In the Archdiocese of New York marriage ceremonies of
Catholics must be performed in a church building and cannot be performed in catering halls or outdoors. 2
DOCUMENTS: For Roman Catholics the following documents are required:
--Newly issued copy of Baptism certificate from church of Baptism.
--Certificates of First Communion and Confirmation.
For non-Catholic Christians the following is required
--Certificate of Baptism from church of Baptism.
--Letter from 2 family members attesting that you have not previously married.
For non-Christians the following is required:
--Letter from 2 family members attesting that you have not been previously married or baptized.
INSTRUCTION PROGRAMS: As with any sacrament instructions are required in preparation. The Archdiocese offers several programs from which you may choose. It is advisable to register early to get the date and place you wish. The certificate you will receive from Pre-Cana is needed for the marriage file.
CEREMONY: There are options available to you. A wedding ‘ceremony’ includes the Scripture readings, homily, vows and blessing. A Nuptial Mass contains the same elements, but is included within the context of a Mass and Communion is distributed. Your choice should be made known at the time your date is booked or shortly thereafter.
INVITATIONS: For those guests who may be using a GPS it is better to use the address of the church parking lot 575 Flower Ave on your invitations since we have found people getting confused on Pelham Manor Road.
PROGRAM: If you are putting together a program for the ceremony, we advise that you show the draft copy to the person performing the ceremony prior to taking it to the printer to avoid errors.
TRANSPORTATION: If you and your bridal party are arriving in any type of vehicle other than a car or limousine (i.e. party van or bus) that vehicle must discharge passengers in the lower church parking lot by the steps. It is NOT permitted to come into the upper lot as there is not sufficient room to maneuver. Please inform the company of this at the time you book them.
WITNESSES: The State of New York and the Catholic Church make provisions for only two official witnesses to the ceremony. These people are seated in the sanctuary area with the bride and groom. All others sit in the pews of the church. A witness must be at least 18 years old and does not have to be Catholic.
MUSIC: Music is an important part of the ceremony. Our organist is available to assist you in planning. You should schedule an appointment to meet. The organist will also arrange for the soloist to be scheduled. We do permit other organists or soloists with church 4
music experience. If permission is given it is understood that our organist and soloist are to be paid. Additional musicians (flutist, violinist, harpist) may be added at an additional fee. The music that is played in Church is to be sacred (religious) music and our organist will approve all selections. Secular or popular music is not permitted. See the attached information sheet for organist contact information and fees.
APPOINTMENTS: After the initial meeting to schedule your date you will be given on outline of future meetings to complete the instructions and paperwork. It is your responsibility to schedule the subsequent appointments. All preliminary paperwork should be completed at least three months prior to the weeding date.
READINGS: Because Marriage is a sacrament the readings that take place during the ceremony are to be taken from Scripture. You will be given a booklet at Pre-Cana with some suggested readings to make your selection. Alternate readings may be chosen by you as long as they are taken from Scripture. The list of your selections should be given to the priest or deacon at least one month prior to the ceremony. If you have questions about the selection this should be mentioned during one of the preparation sessions.
PHOTOGRAPY: The use of a photographer and videographer is permitted. However, it should be noted that they do not dictate the terms or arrangements of what takes place in the Church. Select your photographer and videographer carefully. If they do not comply with 5
the guidelines they will be asked to leave the Church. If you have any questions about this please speak with us before signing any contracts. As the Church is a place for sacred worship it is not appropriate to use the altar as a backdrop for pictures after the ceremony.
FLOWERS: The choice of flowers is your decision. We do not permit standing lit candelabra. The use of flower petals to line the center aisle, whether real or artificial is not permitted. These pose a slipping hazard, stain the floor of the church. If you are having a flower girl she is permitted to use a small amount of white petals. If markers for the pews are going to be used they must NOT BE ATTACHED TO THE PEW WITH TAPE as this damages the finish of the wood. It is our expectation that you will allow your weeding flowers to remain in the church. Generally two arrangements are placed in front of the altar.
RUNNERS: Because the floor of the church is mosaic tile any type of runner poses a slipping possibility for guests. In view of this our insurance carrier has advised us against the use of runners-plastic or otherwise. Runners therefore will not be permitted.
REHEARSAL: The time allotted for the rehearsal is 30 minutes. This is ample time provided that the people involved in the ceremony are present on time. Since you select the day and time for the rehearsal it is your responsibility to see that it begins as scheduled. The rehearsal usually takes place one or two days prior to the ceremony. In the interest of time, we ask that you invite to the church at that time only 6
those who are actually involved in the ceremony; parents, bridal party, readers. All others should meet you at the site of the rehearsal gathering. At the rehearsal you must bring with you a valid New York State marriage license, the fees for the church, organist and singer. Each should be in an envelope with the name on it. Please issue separate checks for each.
No rehearsal will be conducted without a marriage license. To schedule the rehearsal please refer to the enclosed information sheet.
PROMPTNESS: Many people have been involved in planning your special day and guests have arrived at the appointed time. It is a sign of respect and basic courtesy for the ceremony to start on time. The priest, vocalist and organist may have other events scheduled as well. If the ceremony begins late we reserve the right to modify it accordingly. It is your responsibility to inform the limousine company and photographers with the time schedule and directions.
AFTER THE CEREMONY: In the interest of safety, in consideration of the birds and respect to those who will be using the church after you, we ask that nothing be thrown as you leave the church. Most likely there is something taking place shortly after you leave and we want the church and grounds to be in good condition.
FEES AND OFFERINGS: The schedule for fees is on the enclosed information sheet and is subject to change.
Please read these guidelines carefully. We look forward to working with you. It is our understanding that you will fulfill the requirements as listed. If you have any questions, comments, etc., these should be mentioned at the initial meeting or shortly thereafter. While it is important to plan well for your wedding ceremony, much more preparation should be given to planning for your years of life together as a married couple. The wedding is after all the first day of your married life.
We look forward to making this a memorable occasion for you.