Wedding Policies and marriage preparation guidelines

Congratulations on your engagement! We at St. Agnes are pleased to assist you with your plans for a prayerful wedding celebration. We hope the following points will answer some of your questions.
The initial meeting with the priest or pastoral assistant must occur at least six months prior to the ceremony. Scheduling of a wedding for non-parishioners is based on the availability of a priest.  There are several restrictions due to Covid-19. Please contact: Fr. Alejandro Baez, SJ at (415) 450-8670 or email for more information.

Marriage Preparation

The Catholic Church regards the Sacrament of Matrimony with profound respect and reverence. There are several procedures that are required by the Church prior to celebrating the Sacrament. These include:
Baptismal Certificate(s)
A certificate issued within the last six months is required of Catholics. For those baptized in another Christian denomination, a copy of the original certificate is sufficient.
Bride and Groom Self-Testimonies
This will be completed by the priest or pastoral associate who helps with marriage preparation.
Witness Testimonies
These are statements of people who know you well stating that you are free to marry and that you understand the commitment of marriage. Again, the priest or pastoral associate who assists you with the preparation will complete these forms with your witnesses.
FOCCUS (Fostering Open Couple Communication, Understanding & Study)
This tool is designed to identify concern areas for couples to help foster discussion. It will be administered by the priest or pastoral associate.
Marriage Preparation Classes
The priest or pastoral associate will inform you of the types of Marriage Preparation classes available.
Meeting with Priest or deacon
This meeting is for planning the Liturgy (i.e. choosing readings, etc.)
Meeting with Director of Music
This meeting is for planning the music at the Liturgy.
Civil License
You must obtain a civil marriage license from the State of California. Please bring it with you to the rehearsal. No marriage can be performed here without it.

Planning the Wedding

We prefer that only the bride or groom contact us with questions. You are free to choose florists and photographers. Please share with them our parish policies about environment and photography. Our pastoral associate will be happy to assist you and answer any questions. Please contact Mr. Marco Matute at the Parish office Monday to Friday from 9:00am-4:30pm.

The Liturgy

In our Catholic faith community, there are two possible Marriage Liturgies.
  • If both parties are Catholic, we encourage you to celebrate the Nuptial Mass, but you may also choose the non-Eucharistic ceremony. 
  • If one party is not Catholic, we suggest the Rite of Marriage outside of Mass, so that all who attend may fully participate.
In either case, we encourage you to select the prayers, readings, and other elements that will make the liturgy an expression of your faith. The priest or deacon presiding will happily assist you in this planning.

Environment

At St. Agnes, we seek to create a worship space that reflects the liturgical season through the use of plants, banners, etc. These must remain in place. We are happy to help you plan the placement of flowers and other visual elements with our seasonal decoration in mind.

No runner is allowed. We are fortunate to have a beautiful marble aisle in the church. The adhesive used for runners mars the finish and the runners themselves then to slip on the marble. No rice, flower petals, or confetti are permitted inside the Church, on the Church steps, or outside of the Church.

Photography

Although it is a memorable occasion, a Marriage ceremony is a sacred event. Photographers are requested to remain unobtrusive and respect these guidelines:
  1. The use of a flash is not permitted during the service.
  2. If video equipment is used, it should be set up in a stationary, discreet location. No additional lighting may be used.
  3. Photographs may be taken before the service and for a half hour after the service, provided everything begins on time. We ask for strict observance of this schedule.

Church Availability

You should expect to have use of the church for photographs, etc. for only a half hour before the wedding and a half hour following the wedding. Please note that these times cannot interfere with scheduled Masses. Please be prompt for both the rehearsal and the wedding!
Should the wedding begin late, the service may be shortened and you may not have enough time for photographs afterwards.

Music
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All services in the Church are to be accompanied by liturgical music. Selections from the classical repertoire may be chosen for prelude music. No recorded music is permitted at any time. Please contact Mr. Frank Uranich at the parish office for all music arrangements.

Parking
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Parking is not guaranteed. When you have a date in mind, check with the office if parking is available.

Fees

At least half of the fees should be paid when reserving the wedding date and the balance is to be paid 30 days before the rehearsal.

Church Use Fee
Our fee for the use of the church is $450 for active parishioners (parishioners registered at least one year and worshiping regularly) and $950 for visitors and non-parishioners.

Marriage Preparation Fees–Documents
The fee for meeting with pastoral associate and completing the documents required by the Church is $200 for active parishioners (parishioners registered at least one year and worshiping regularly) or $400 for visitors or inactive parishioners. If you are being married in another church but wish that preparation and paperwork be done at St. Agnes, the fees are the same as above.

Marriage Preparation Fees–Classes
There are several options for classes. Our Pastoral Associate will discuss options at your first meeting. Fees for the classes vary.

Wedding Coordinator Fee
The Wedding Coordinator will be on hand to help you both during the rehearsal and the actual wedding. The fee is $150.

Director of Music Fee
You will need to make an appointment with the Director of Music, Mr. Frank Uranich, to select music for your ceremony. The fee is $300. This includes the organist. Should you choose to have additional cantors or musicians, please make arrangements with Mr. Uranich.

Presider Stipend
The stipend for the presider (priest or deacon) is $200.

Total Fees
Parishioner: $1300.00
Non-Parishioner: $2000.00