WEDDINGS
Getting Married at St Mary’s
Would you like to get married at St Mary’s?
Please read the information below, and then contact the Parish Office.
Issues Needing Early Clarification
- The Wedding Service must be according to the Rites of the Anglican Church of Australia and conducted by one of the parish clergy. Only in exceptional circumstances will approval be given for a visiting celebrant, who must also be an Anglican priest.
- It is a normal requirement that at least one of the couple be a baptised Christian.
- If one or both of the couple have been married before and divorced, the priest is required to seek permission of the Bishop to marry the couple. This requires sensitive discussion with the couple at the initial interview.
- To be married at St Mary’s the couple should have some personal link with the parish (e.g. attending church at St Mary’s, or having a family connection), or live in the North Melbourne area.
Contact
- Initial enquiries to ascertain the availability of the Church and a priest for the proposed date and time and to clarify other procedural matters ought be made through the Parish Office;
- In due course the priest will contact the couple to arrange the date and time of an initial interview and subsequent interviews;
- Contact details for the Parish Office are listed at the bottom of this page.
Wedding Times
- The Wedding Service would normally be on a Saturday, with the latest time for commencement normally being 4.00pm as the Director of Music officiates as the organist elsewhere after this time;
- Weddings on other days are by special arrangement and only in exceptional circumstances. An additional $500 fee applies for days other than Saturday.
Fees
- Fees are set annually by Parish Council and are payable before or at the rehearsal. The current standard fee is $1200.00
- Included in this fee is a non-refundable deposit of $200.00 which is to be paid at the time of confirmation of the date and time of the Wedding. The fee does not include a Marriage Preparation Course which is recommended for couples intending to be married in St Mary’s.
- The Fee covers the following:
- Two or three interviews with the priest to prepare the necessary documentation, discussion of details of the Service (basic Service for Marriage or in the context of Eucharist) and other relevant issues so that the Service may be as personalised as possible;
- A rehearsal with the priest and wedding party;
- Music provided by the Director of Music on the Smenge organ;
- The bell – rung as the couple leave the Church;
- Bows (cream or white) on all pews; and
- The setting up and use of the church, with special altar frontal, candles on the altar and candelabras etc.
- The Fee does not cover the following:
- Marriage preparation course, details of which will be discussed between the priest and the couple;
- Flowers, as these attract GST. The couple may make private arrangements for flowers in the church or can discuss other options with the priest; and
- Bespoke service booklets containing the order of service. The text of the order of service will be arranged with the couple following discussion and planning with the priest, and the final text for printing will be provided. St Mary’s is able to provide a very simple printed order of service at no charge (black and white on white bond paper), but bespoke booklets should be arranged by the couple.
Marriage Preparation
- Given the huge investment made in the wedding day itself, it is even more important to invest in the enrichment and strength of the couple’s ongoing relationship. Therefore, it is recommended that couples marrying at St Mary’s undertake a marriage preparation course, the details of which the priest will discuss with the couple. The cost is not included in the fees payable for your wedding at St Mary’s, but is usually about $200.
Parish Office
Kerry Dehring, Parish Administrator – (03) 9328 2522, office@stmarys.org.au
Parish Priest
The Revd Dr Craig D’Alton
Director of Music
Beverley Phillips
In the first instance, please contact the Parish Office on (03) 9328 2522 or email office@stmarys.org.au