Your Wedding

at

Mary, Seat of Wisdom

920 W. Granville Ave. Park Ridge, IL 60068 847-825-3153 mswparish.org

Congratulations on your engagement!

The parish and staff of Mary, Seat of Wisdom joyfully welcome you into preparation for the sacrament of Matrimony. Your decision to enter into the relationship of married life is a sign of love, hope and strength for the entire community. You have prayed and discussed this decision on your own, and now you are ready to continue the process of beginning a suc-cessful marriage. The love you have privately come to realize and share will now be made public. Family, friends and the local church are called upon to support, encourage and pray for you as you set out to formalize and bless your relationship in the celebration of the sacrament of Matri-mony.

We encourage you to make this important time of preparation an oppor-tunity for you to question, pray, reflect and consider the many facets of the new life you will be sharing together. It is our hope that while prepar-ing for your wedding day, you will also be laying the foundation for a suc-cessful Christian marriage.

The purpose of this guide is to provide you with insights and information that will help make your wedding day a happy and holy event for you and for the parish community. One of the priests will assist you in the prepar-atory steps that will lead to your wedding day. You will also meet with the music director to plan all of the music for your wedding.

We assure you of our continued support, help and prayers. If we may be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

The Parish Staff 847-825-3153

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MARRIAGE PREPARATION

Engagement is a special time—a time of love and preparation. This is a time of enjoyment, dialogue, and the sharing of the deepest and most personal values. This is a time of reflection and prayer. The parish staff and lay ministers seek to do all we can to assist couples in preparing for marriage.

Pre-marriage preparation is required. It includes an initial meeting with a priest, a pre-marital inventory and discussion and participation in a for-mal pre-Cana program. There are three options: archdiocesan pre-Cana, parish pre-Cana and Discovery Weekend.

The parish program will be offered two times each year (fall and spring). It offers a more relaxed setting, a smaller group and a lesser fee.

The Discovery Weekend is a weekend experience, usually held at a retreat house. Like the pre-Cana program, it is led by married couples and a priest. Because it is a full weekend, it affords a greater opportunity for sharing, reflecting and developing a view of married life that can extend beyond the wedding day.

The priest assisting you will provide the schedules for these programs. You may also find the schedule online at www.familyministries.org or call the Family Ministries Office at 312-751-8351.

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CHECKLIST OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

□ 1. A Baptism certificate dated within six months of the wedding is to

be submitted by each Catholic person. In an interfaith marriage, a bap-tized non-Catholic is also asked to present a record of Baptism, if that is possible.

□ 2. A recently issued Confirmation certificate is requested, if available.

□ 3. Two affidavits affirming each person’s freedom to marry may be

required, in some cases. The consulting priest will advise.

□ 4. A pre-marital questionnaire for both the bride and groom will be

completed with the consulting priest or deacon.

□ 5. The attendance certificate presented at the completion of the pre-

marriage preparation is to be kept on file at Mary, Seat of Wisdom with the other marriage documents.

□ 6. A marriage license from Cook County, Illinois, is required and is

to be presented to the priest or deacon at the time of the rehearsal. Cur-rently a Cook County license is valid for sixty days from the date of is-sue and must be obtained at least one day prior to the wedding. For in-formation on obtaining a marriage license, including locations and hours, phone 312-603-5664.

□ 7. Because every couple is unique, there are some cases where other

documents may be required. The consulting priest will assist.

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GENERAL INFORMATION

1. Our parish policy is that the documents be presented and the nuptial questionnaire be completed at least six weeks before the wedding. It is the couple’s responsibility to schedule an appointment with the consult-ing priest to complete this questionnaire.

2. Wedding rehearsals are to be scheduled with the parish minister. It is recommended that they be no longer than a half hour. Brevity will be facilitated if all decisions have been made beforehand. In courtesy to all involved, we ask that the rehearsal and wedding start and end on time.

3. An offering of $400 to Mary, Seat of Wisdom is expected. Servers (2) gratuity is $10 each. Envelopes are provided and are to be given to the priest/deacon of the parish at the time of the rehearsal. The cost of the parish pre-Cana is additional. Use the envelope provided and give it to the presenting couples at the pre-Cana session.

4. All wedding music is planned in consultation with our parish musi-cians. An envelope is provided for the musicians’ fees, the amount of which is determined in the music planning session and is to be given to the priest/deacon at the time of the rehearsal. Please refer to page 8 for more information about the fees for the musicians.

5. Arrangements for flowers and runners are to be made by the bride and groom with the florist of your choice. Please read page 11 and pre-sent it to the florist. Runners, which are available from your florist, need to be 68 feet long for the aisle. A wedding Unity Candle (1-3 inches & 2 tapers), if one is to be used, may be purchased at the florist shop or a religious goods store. Please be aware that the altar and surrounding area are arranged with great care for each liturgical season. This arrangement may not be altered for your wedding. Weddings that take place during Lent should simplify floral plans. Weddings at Christmas or Easter should consult with the parish about what additions to Christmas/Easter flowers may be needed or helpful.

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6. Arrangements for photographers are to be made by the bride and groom with the studio of your choice. Please read page 10 and present it to the photographer. Provided there is no other service in the church, wedding pictures may be taken in the church for no more than a half hour after the ceremony. Please maintain a spirit of reverence in the church.

7. The bride and bridesmaids may use the Annex for a half hour before the ceremony. Please note that it is a waiting room and time does not per-mit it to be a dressing room. We ask that you leave the room as you found it.

8. The mailing address for Mary, Seat of Wisdom is 920 West Granville, Park Ridge, Illinois, 60068. We ask that all correspondence be sent to this address.

9. Out of respect for the church building, which is sacred, and out of re-spect for others who will be using this space after the wedding, we ask that no rice, birdseed, flower petals, confetti or balloons be used inside or outside the church. No alcoholic beverages, including champagne, are to be brought onto the church property.

10. If you choose to prepare a program booklet to be distributed to your guests, please consult the priest/deacon and ask him to proofread your program. The musician who helps plan your wedding music can also as-sist you with your program.

11. If a private wedding consultant is employed, please duplicate this booklet for that person’s information. It is good to keep in mind that the priest/deacon will be conducting the rehearsal and officiating at the cere-mony with the advice of the bride and groom only.

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POPULAR BUT NON-ESSENTIAL PRACTICES

Some practices or rituals, expressive of the bond of marriage, have de-veloped within the wedding ceremony. None of these is essential to the ceremony. One of these practices is the lighting of the unity candle and its side candles. Different ministers conduct this practice in different ways and will discuss it with you and practice it at the rehearsal if you choose to participate in it.

Various cultures, for example, Greek Orthodox, Mexican, African American, Polish, Filipino, have their own rituals, which highlight an aspect of the meaning of marriage. The parish minister will be happy to discuss one of these with you and practice it with you at the rehearsal.

Another popular but optional practice is to bring a bouquet of flowers to Mary’s Shrine just before the final blessings. Again, the minister will discuss this with you and practice it with you at the rehearsal if you choose to do it. Please decide ahead of time whether the bride will go alone to Mary’s shrine or will be accompanied by the groom.

PARKING

Please note that driving and parking are not allowed on the sidewalk or brick area in front of church.

Please enter, exit, park all vehicles including limousine, bus, shuttle, etc. behind the church in the west lot.

That lot is also handicapped accessible.

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MUSIC FOR YOUR WEDDING

INTRODUCTION

The Music Department will help make the liturgical celebration of your marriage a beautiful, prayerful and joyful event. We guide you in plan-ning and provide the musicians who will lead the singing and play instru-ments at your wedding. We look forward to meeting with you to assist in the selection of music appropriate to the sacramental nature of the litur-gical celebration of marriage.

PLANNING

We ask that all couples being married at Mary, Seat of Wisdom call the Music Office at least six weeks before the wedding to schedule a wed-ding music consultation. We will provide you with a suggested list of wedding music. Please note the selections that you like and bring the list to the planning meeting. It is also helpful if you have reviewed and cho-sen your scripture readings, especially the responsorial psalm. As musical advisor, your organist will guide you through the music selection pro-cess. Any questions regarding the suitability of wedding music selections will be decided by your organist.

VOCALISTS

It is the church’s policy that a cantor be engaged for each wedding. The cantor is the vocal soloist and leads the congregational singing. Your or-ganist will secure the services of a parish cantor for your wedding. It is important that a parish cantor participate in your wedding because of their high level of skill, familiarity with liturgy, experience with space, and ongoing working relationship with parish organists and clergy.

INSTRUMENTALISTS

Additional instrumentalists (trumpets, violins, etc.) are often desired as part of the wedding. Our music director knows instrumentalists who are superbly skilled. It is our policy that the music director will engage these musicians for you after your music planning meeting.

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CHOIR

A quartet, octet, large choir or other combination of Mary, Seat of Wis-dom singers may be contracted for your wedding. Our music director can help you with this at the wedding music planning meeting.

MUSIC FEES

There is an additional required minimum fee for music at a wedding, even when a visiting musician is engaged. The fee includes the consulta-tion, preparation and performance of the wedding liturgy. When non-parish musicians or larger ensembles of musicians are requested, more rehearsal time and preparation are required. This additional time will be reflected in additional music fees.

Our music minister will inform you of the exact amount of music fees at your meeting. These fees should be given to the priest or deacon of MSW at the time of the wedding rehearsal.

PRE-RECORDED MUSIC

The use of pre-recorded music is never permitted in the church.

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GUIDELINES FOR THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEOGRAPHER

The following are the guidelines that all photo/video personnel are asked to follow at Mary, Seat of Wisdom. 1. Photographers and video personnel may take pictures in the gathering space before the wedding or in the church proper during the entrance procession. Arrival time is a half hour prior to wedding. 2. Photographers are asked not to interfere with the movement of the procession or recession by having couples stop in the aisle. We ask that photographers refrain from walking in front of them during the proces-sional and recessional. 3. Once the ceremony begins, photographers are asked to select one lo-cation (in back of the congregation) and take all photographs from that site. 4. When using a video camera, please consult with the priest or deacon prior to the ceremony. Videographers must remain at that chosen loca-tion throughout the ceremony. 5. Since the church has sufficient lighting, bulbs and electronic flashes are not allowed during the wedding. Video cameras may not use spots as lighting aids. 6. Since our church is open to visitors and parishioners for the oppor-tunity for private prayer, a fitting reverence is expected at all times. If there is no other ceremony in the church, photos may be taken for a half hour after the ceremony. 7. Any chairs or furniture moved by the videographer must be returned to the original location immediately following the ceremony.

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GUIDELINES FOR THE FLORIST

The following guidelines are to be followed by all florists who service Mary, Seat of Wisdom.

1. No floral arrangements, candles, hurricane lamps, trellises, canopies, ribbons or any other decorations are allowed in the aisles or on the pews. No rose petals may be thrown. Decorations should be focused in the sanctuary.

2. Floral arrangements in the sanctuary are not to block the liturgical movements. Also note that additional floral arrangements may interfere with videotaping.

3. Flowers are not to be placed on the altar (table).

4. The length of the church aisle is 68 feet.

5. Florists should not arrive at the church more than a half hour before the scheduled wedding.

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Your Wedding

at

Mary, Seat of Wisdom