Wedding Resources

After you’ve met with the Rev. Steve Best and read the basic information below, you’ll complete the paperwork and send it to the office. Because of high demand, we cannot guarantee your requested wedding date until you do so. After the date is set, our lead wedding coordinator will contact you to help you with your plans for the wedding ceremony.

Important: If you have to change the date or time of your wedding, notify our wedding coordinator before finalizing the change.

Some of the forms below are in Adobe Acrobat format. To open or print them, you need the Acrobat Reader, which you can download for free.

Wedding Coordination

The clergy have entrusted the responsibility for day-to-day consultations about your wedding to our lead Wedding Coordinator, along with a team of assistants, who will answer routine questions, and provide information about the ceremony, photographers, florists, directions to the church, and financial arrangements. An assigned member of the team will be present to help at your wedding rehearsal and wedding.

To minimize confusion, errors, and delays, we have found it best that you do not use an outside wedding consultant who is not familiar with our church. Our experienced wedding coordinators will be here to minister to you with love and care.

Wedding Fees

The staff and volunteers of St. Thomas want to help you make your wedding a beautiful and memorable occasion. The cost of a wedding at St. Thomas is $1,000 for parish members or $1,500 non-members. This fee covers the cost of the organist and service bulletin, wedding coordinator, pulpit flowers, and educational materials. Before you hire a musician other than the parish organist, please consult with our Associate for Music and Liturgical Arts. The use of outside musicians will incur additional costs.

Wedding Receptions

St. Thomas is pleased to make its Great Hall available for catered receptions. Please speak with our Wedding Coordinator about reception requests.

Wedding Music

In our Christian tradition, wedding music plays an important role in helping friends, family, and the couple celebrate the blessing of marriage, combining both the joy and sacredness of the event. In choosing music, please keep in mind that the choices should reflect not only your relationship with each other and God, but also be suitable for the entire community you have invited to gather. There is a broad variety of music to choose from.

To help you discover just the right combination of music (and additional musicians if you so choose) for your wedding, please feel free to contact our Associate for Music and Liturgical Arts, Charles Rus, as soon as you are able. He will be happy to meet with you personally, exchange ideas about your service, play through some selections, and help you put it all together.

Wedding Attendants

At least two witnesses are required by law at every wedding. These two witnesses are often members of the wedding party; they will sign the necessary documents before the service, usually at the rehearsal.

The best man is expected to be generally helpful to everyone, especially to the groom. Unless otherwise planned, the best man is also responsible for presentation of the ring(s) to the clergy during the wedding ceremony.

The maid or matron of honor accompanies the bride down the aisle and helps the bride with her bouquet, Prayer Book, and the like.

Ushers seat guests before the service.

Guidelines for Photographers

Weddings at St. Thomas are church services that occur in a place of reverence. These guidelines are intended to help you do your best to honor both the wedding and the church’s wedding traditions. The general principle behind church wedding photography and video is summed up in one word: unobtrusive.

Wedding pictures in the church may begin 1½ hours before the wedding and must conclude no later than 45 minutes before the wedding.

Non-flash pictures may be taken during the ceremony, but only from the narthex (church entrance). Pictures are not taken in the church after the ceremony.

The area inside the altar rail is not an appropriate space for photography.

Church furnishings and fixtures will not be moved. Additional lighting equipment and backdrops are not permitted.

Video equipment must be set up before the wedding begins. Cameras in the narthex may be staffed. Cameras in transept locations must be left fixed and unstaffed. The parish wedding consultant will show you the proper placements. Microphones are not allowed.

Final authority for all decisions regarding wedding pictures has been delegated by the Rector to the Wedding Consultant.

Our parish wedding coordinator can answer any other questions you might have about photography, making things run smoothly for everyone involved.

Guidelines for Florists

Flowers are welcome in the church for all festive occasions. The general rule is that they are never more elaborate than for major festivals like Christmas and Easter.

The Parish Flower Guild creates a single, large floral arrangement for the wedding party that stands in front of the pulpit. Colors are chosen to coordinate with the bride’s choices. The flowers remain in place, without alteration, for Sunday services.

If other flowers are desired, a good general rule is simplicity. Acceptable locations include window sills, a stand at the right of the altar, and in the center aisle on ends of pews. Flowers are never placed on the altar or altar rails. Arches and other structures are inappropriate and not used.

It is the florist’s responsibility to call the parish wedding coordinator at least five days before the wedding to set a time for doors to be opened and flowers placed.

Non-floral displays are sometimes requested. Candlesticks for pews, and an aisle runner are acceptable additions. The florist provides these, taking care that adornments do not mar the church facilities with tape residue or sharp objects. Failure to comply will result in billing by the church for professional removal or repair.

The florist is also responsible for the removal of all extra arrangements and items immediately after the ceremony.

Our parish wedding coordinator can answer any other questions you may have about flowers.

Other Resources

Marriage Celebration (PDF from the Book of Common Prayer)