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Dear Bride and Groom:
We rejoice with you on your forthcoming Marriage. God has called the two of you to love and to care for one another all the days of your life. We at St. Paul’s, want to partner with you to make sure that your Marriage is both meaningful and worshipful. Upon receiving a formal application for Marriage from you (which can be picked up in the chirc office), we will select a Wedding Consultant from our parish to assist you in planning and with any further questions that you may have. A Priest will then review your application and make an initial appointment with you for consultation.
While we are open to talking about marriage with anyone wishing to grow their marriage in a faith community, please take note of all the following requirements:
- At Least one of the candidates for Marriage must be a communicant in good standing at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church for at least six months prior to application. A communicant in good standing is defined as a member who is regular in attendance, gives financially to further Christ’s work in this parish, and is active in ministry. Immediate family members of communicants in good standing are also considered as such. Applications for Marriage made before this is achieved will be deferred, pending the couple’s active membership.
- At least ninety days notice must be given prior to the actual wedding date.
- The couple must complete three sessions or more of premarital counseling.
- Weddings for communicants of Episcopal parishes other than St. Paul’s will be granted if…
- Application is made ninety or more days in advance.
- St. Paul’s clergy and Wedding Consultants conduct the rehearsal.
- All policies included in the customary are followed and upheld.
- If counseling is done outside our parish, a written statement of approval of the proposed Marriage needs to be sent by the counseling priest to be filed in our parish records.
- Because of a unique understanding of the nature and theology of Marriage held in our church, we do not “rent” our space to non-members of other denominations.
- If either party is divorced, at least one year shall have passed since the date of the final decree before making application to be remarried. A copy of the final decree, a brief autobiographical sketch of the nature and cause of the divorce, as well as a formal application for remarriage will be sent to the bishop’s office before permission to move forward will be granted.
- If a couple is cohabitating before Marriage, the couple will be asked to separate for a season of purification or to marry immediately and have a church blessing later when friends and other relatives are able to attend. Our bishop’s will is to remedy sinful lifestyles by immediately restoring the couple to Christ and the church; and after restoration, blessing them before God.
The clergy, the staff, the Wedding Committee of St. Paul’s are here to assist you.
If you have any questions concerning this most special of days, please do not hesitate to call us:
(843-248-4706) Church Office
Should I Get Married in the Church?
This may sound like a silly question at this point; however, you need to take it seriously. There are many beautiful places in which a couple may be married if they are not interested in making Christ and the Church central to their covenant. There are many people, both clergy and laity, who are licensed and willing to do weddings outside the church. Church weddings are meant to be services of worship. As such, they only make sense within the context of faith.
In essence, when a couple comes to the church to get married, they are making a faith statement to God in front of their families and their friends. At the altar of God, the couple is inviting Jesus to become a living and active partner in their relationship. At this time, you may want to ask yourself, “Is this our understanding of marriage?”
In the Episcopal Church, Marriage is considered a sacrament just as reverent and just as mysterious as Confession, Confirmation, or the Ordination of clergy. In order to make an appropriate beginning of the Marriage, Christian couples come to the church to ask for God’s blessings; for the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit; and for the prayers of the Christian community to help them sustain the sacramental vows they make.
If you seek Marriage in the Episcopal Church, you are not being wed simply to each other, but to Christ and the Church as well. You are committing yourself to growing your Marriage in the church. In addition, you are committing yourself to raising any children that you may have in the Christian faith.
Having said all of this, it is the principle of grace that has always defined relationships within the church. If you are not in communion with a church, but are spiritually ready to explore what it means to make a serious commitment to Christ, then St. Paul’s church stands with opens arms, ready to discuss Marriage with you, regardless of your past.