Weddings at St. James

Is St. James the proper parish for your wedding?

Having a wedding at St. James implies that you are an active part of the life of our parish. Church law specifies that the proper place for a baptized Catholic to marry is the parish in which they live. If your residence is within our parish boundaries, you may marry here. Only one person of the engaged couple must meet this requirement.

Those not residing in the parish and not registered will ordinarily be required to marry in the parish in which they reside. However, an exception may be possible if the parent(s) of one person of the engaged couple meet the residence requirements for St. James. Please contact to Rectory to verify.

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Scheduling your wedding

Before any scheduling can take place, the engaged couple must contact and meet with a priest or deacon. Please contact the Rectory to set up an appointment.

Each bridal party has a scheduled time for both the rehearsal and wedding ceremony. All readers for your wedding are asked to attend rehearsals. Reverent cooperation and decorum are expected at your rehearsal. Should your wedding begin later than the scheduled time, your photography session inside St. James may be shortened or cancelled; 2:00 p.m. weddings must always be out of the church by 3:20 p.m.

Because marriage is such a serious commitment, the process of preparing for your wedding involves several states of preparation. For this reason, all wedding arrangements must be made at least six months before the day of the ceremony.

Wedding during Advent or Lent. Because there are seasons of the Church Year set aside for penitence and spiritual renewal, wedding celebrations are discouraged during these times. However, a wedding is allowed if it is in keeping with the character of the season. If you choose to have your wedding during Advent or Lent, the following restrictions apply at St. James Church:

1) No large wedding parties: Only the bride and groom along with a best man and a maid/matron of honor may be in the wedding party. There can be no other attendants such as a flower girl, ring bearer, etc.

2) No floral decorations or candelabra: Flowers may be carried and simple pew bows used.

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Wedding times

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Preparing for your wedding

Marriage preparation programs. Engaged couples are required to complete the following three programs prior to the wedding. These programs must be scheduled as soon as possible after setting your wedding date:

FOCCUS Marriage Preparation Instrument
Engaged Encounter Weekend
Introduction to Natural Family Planning

After completing each of these programs, you will receive certificates of completion that should be turned in to the preparing priest or deacon at your final meeting. Again, please note that these programs must be completed well in advance of your wedding day, especially if your wedding is to take place in a parish other than St. James.

Documents that you will need.

Newly issued copy of Baptismal Certificate: This certificate must be dated no more than six months before the time it is turned in. It is required for the Catholic party only and it needs to be newly issued, not one that was issued shortly after your baptism. Call the church where you were baptized and ask them for a newly issued baptismal certificate. They will know what to do.

Affidavit of Freedom: This form asks one of the parents or another relative of each of you to be a witness to the fact that you are free to marry. The priest or deacon preparing you will provide you with this form.

Civil Marriage License: This is obtained from the County Clerk or City Clerk. There is a three-day waiting period before the license may be used, and it expires in thirty days after issuance. A wedding ceremony cannot be conducted until you present a valid marriage license.

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Reverence

As you know, the Church is a sacred place, the House of God. We request that no one speak above a whisper. No food or drink is ever brought into the church. Please advise your friends of these rules. Due to time and space constraints, there are no receiving lines at St. James.

Please note: There is no smoking, drinking, food, or alcoholic beverages allowed in the church itself. Any indication that members of the wedding party have been drinking may result in the cancellation of your wedding, or the offending parties may not be allowed to participate.

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Music

Music holds an important place in your wedding liturgy. The parish organist, Dan Day, will assist you in planning the music for your wedding. The first step in this process is to set up an appointment to discuss music. You are asked to schedule an appointment by meeting the organist after the 7:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., or 12:00 noon Mass on Sunday to choose a time and date on which to meet.

There are other parish musicians available to serve as a potential cantor, soloist, or instrumentalist. The fees involved are reflective of the general fee structure for the Washington, D.C. area. Fee for the organist is $200.00; cantor or soloist is $125.00. The fees for other instrumentalists will vary.

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Photography

Suitable places for photography are:

• Inconspicuously outside the sanctuary between the priests' sacristy and lectern.
• Choir loft.

Places where photography is not permitted include:

• Anywhere in the center aisle.
• Anywhere in front of the sanctuary.
• Anywhere directly in front of the congregation.
• In front of the center aisle, near the groomsmen.
• Near the cantor (if there is one), to the left of the sanctuary.

Other Considerations:

• No flash photography is allowed during the ceremony. Flash photography is permitted only during the processional and recessional. Note that the ceremony formally begins with the Sign of the Cross, and ends with the Final Blessing ("May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.")
• Videographers are asked to stand in one place during the ceremony.
• Photographers in the choir loft are to be mindful of the organist and other musicians.

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Flowers and Decorations

Brides are encouraged to share the cost of flowers when there are two or more weddings on the same day. The chairperson of the coordinators, Linda Doyle, will notify brides who are being married on the same day so that arrangements can be made for the sharing of flowers. Alter floral arrangements are customarily left in the church as a votive offering.

NOTE: For the safety of all, no runners are permitted nor are flower petals to be dropped by flower girls in the church. Confetti, birdseed, bubbles, balloons and/or rice are not to be used on church property.

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Wedding coordination services

St. James has a wedding coordinators committee that provides its services as a gift to every bride and groom. On your wedding day, two coordinators will be present one hour before the wedding and throughout the entire wedding. At no time is any other director or coordinator ever allowed in St. James Church. If the celebrant of the wedding ceremony is a visiting priest, coordinators are available to attend rehearsals.

Our wedding coordinators are prepared to assist with everything concerning your wedding ceremony at the church (except for questions concerning the liturgy.) Please contact Linda Doyle, chairperson of the coordinators, at (703) 893-3537.

Before the wedding, the coordinators will:

• Put pew bows, brides' accessory basket, ring pillow, and greens in place.
• Pin the boutonnieres on the men in the bridal party (the groom and the best man will have that done in the priest's sacristy and the ushers will be pinned in the vestibule of the main entrance to the church.)
• Pin on corsages for the women in the bridal party.
• Hand out programs to the arriving guests, if the bride has supplied them.
• Assist the ushers in maintaining an atmosphere of quiet reverence conducive to prayer.

When the wedding begins, the coordinators will:

• Give the bridal flowers to the bride and her attendants.
• Fluff the veil and gown and arrange the train.
• Direct the bridal party when to process down the aisle.
• Seat late arriving guests by the side aisles.

The coordinators will also provide the following items and services:

• 28 white pew bows (placed on the pews, every other row.)
• A bride's accessory box (items such as hair spray, static guard, etc.)
• Fresh greens will be placed on the altar steps.
• Ring pillows for ring bearers (four are available.)
• Two altar servers (a minimum of $25 tip per server.)

Coordinators' experience recommends that:

• Your invitations include accurate directions.
• Guests turn off all cell phones before entering the church.
• Discard any bottled beverages before entering the church.
• Your guests are informed either by programs or those distributing the programs that no photographs are permitted during the ceremony by anyone other than your professional photographer.

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Fees and expenses

The following schedule of fees will apply to all weddings at St. James.

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Your wedding checklist

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