Attire and FAQ

Question

What is daytime formal attire?

Answer

Men are requested to wear polished suits—they need not wear a tuxedo given the early time of day. Women are requested to wear floor length dresses. Although a lesser-known form of attire, we chose this to be able to have a formal dress ption better-suited for our morning wedding in early summer weather. It is treated the same as black tie, with the exception that men do not wear tuxedos and women may feel more free to opt for a lighter color dress to fit the morning and early afternoon events.

Question

Is there parking for the ceremony and reception?

Answer

Parking is available directly behind St. Mary's at the Charleston Place Hotel Garage, and nearby at the Cumberland Street Garage and Palmetto Parking Lot. We'd recommend not counting on street parking in busy downtown! We will walk from the wedding mass to our reception at 62 Broad Street. You will then be able to walk either to your hotel downtown or your original parking spot to return to your stay after our reception.

Question

What time should I arrive at the ceremony?

Answer

Please arrive to the church about 20 minutes early to be seated and prayerfully prepare for our wedding mass. If you are not staying downtown, remember to factor in time to find a parking space and walk to the church.

Question

What do I need to know about the Catholic nuptial mass as a non-Catholic?

Answer

A Catholic wedding mass is longer than most wedding ceremonies because it consists not only of the vows, but also the entirety of the mass, the celebration of Christ's sacrifice for us on earth! Please uphold a spirit of reverence and joy for this special time in which all the angels and saints in heaven are celebrating the love of God with us! We will have comprehensive worship aids in our wedding program to assist you in following along with the beautiful liturgy. We hope you appreciate the divinity of the prayers the faithful have joined in together since the Early Church! The mass is integral to our faith as Catholics because during the mass the Eucharist is transformed by the power of God from bread into the literal, living Body of Christ under the mere appearance of bread. We take this very seriously--the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and the Eucharist has changed Eliza and Will's lives (after all, Will's conversion to Catholicism was based in the conviction that the Eucharist is truly the Body of our risen Lord). Because of how important the Eucharist is to Catholics, it is reserved for those who fully believe, uphold, and love the truth that it is the literal Body of Jesus. Thus, practicing Catholics in a state of grace may receive the Eucharist during our wedding mass. We ask that our non-Catholic and non-practicing friends come forward to the altar to receive a blessing from our priest instead of receiving Communion. This is not an act of gatekeeping of the Eucharist by the Catholic Church, rather, a reservation of the Eucharist for those who fully believe it to be truly, literally our Lord. If you would like to learn more about this, please reach out to Will or Eliza!