Yes! Children are welcome at the ceremony, Mass, and reception. For those with little ones, there is a spacious cry room at the back of the church that has windows into the church and room for kids to play. It is on the right when you enter the lobby, it has doors both to the church and to the lobby, and there is a bathroom attached. It will be available for anyone to use if they wish.
There is a parking lot at St. Mary's. The entrance is off of Charlotte Avenue and the drive curves up and around the offices and to the left. The church is on one side of the parking lot and Fr. Bart Hall (the reception) is on the other side.
No, but we will be married in the context of a traditional liturgy within our church. We ask that you please be respectful, but dress appropriately for the weather - it will be June! Thankfully, the church and reception hall will have air conditioning.
Kindly RSVP by the end of May so that we can organize final details
We expect the Mass to start immediately after the wedding ceremony (around 1:15 pm) and end between 2:45-3 pm. It will feature beautiful Gregorian Chant from the middle ages, a polyphonic Mass setting from the Renaissance, and hymns from the American shape-note tradition. Brandon has sung as a part of the choir at St. Mary's for years, and is honored to have many from the choir singing for this Mass. This Mass will be celebrated according to the Catholic liturgy primarily used from the 10th century until the 1970's. That means Latin and incense will be used, and it may be very different than other weddings you have been to. We hope that you enjoy the opportunity to quite literally see and hear what a wedding would have been like for the past 1,000 years. Programs with an explanation of the liturgy will be provided. While we hope you can appreciate this "living history" experience, we also understand if you can't make it or wish to leave immediately following the wedding ceremony. We hope to see you at the reception if so!
The ceremony will start at 1 pm, but a musical prelude will begin at 12:45 pm.
Yes, you should have received a plus one and you are welcome to bring any guest you wish. Please include them when you RSVP so we can make sure they have a meal and a seat, and reach out to us if you have any difficulty.
Yes, Bell's beer and several varieties of wine will be provided.
There will be gluten and dairy free options available. Each dish will have a placard indicating allergens. If you have concerns about specific dietary restrictions, please reach out to us (we're used to them!)