Celebrating Your Wedding at

CELEBRATING YOUR WEDDING AT ST. AUGUSTINES

St. Augustines Catholic Center

Congratulations! We at St. Augustines wish you many blessings as

you now choose to ask Gods blessing upon your relationship. Holy
Matrimony is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church; this
makes the celebration of your marriage very important and significant in
your life and in the life of the Church.

And the two shall become one flesh.

Mt. 19:3

For Catholics the liturgical celebration of a sacrament is a true and real

encounter with Jesus Christ. The desire and hope of the Church is that
the celebration of your marriage truly be an encounter with Christ for
you, your family, and all in our church community.
Because marriage is a sacrament, the Church has certain guidelines for
the celebration of marriage. The purpose of this document is to present
these guidelines as an aid to assist you in preparing for this great
celebration.
Please know that we are here to help you and want your wedding to be
beautiful and holy. Please begin your preparation by contacting our
parish office. We will be happy to assist you.
THE DATE AND TIME OF YOUR WEDDING
Your wedding date needs to be selected in consolation with the clergy
who will preside at the liturgy and with our parish calendar of events.
The priest or deacon who celebrates the wedding will be sure to check
the parish calendar to confirm your date and time.

St. Augustines Catholic Center

628 S. Deakin Ave.
Moscow, ID 83843
208-882-4613
www.vandalcatholics.com

At St. Augustines, we want to be able to accommodate your wedding

as best as we can.

Please be sure to make contact with the parish 4-6 months

prior to your wedding.

MARRIAGE PREPARATION
Once the couple contacts St. Augustions about your wedding, the priest
will arrange a meeting with the couple. This will begin the marriage
preparation. The preparation includes the filling out of some forms, and
approximately 10 class sessions with our marriage preparation team.
The classes are scheduled individually with each couple.
TWO LITURIGAL OPTIONS FOR YOUR WEDDING
All Catholic weddings consist of several key parts.
1. Procession
2. Liturgy of the Word (Scripture readings)
3. Exchange of Vows
4. Exchange of Rings
5. Blessing of the couple
These key elements are situated within the context of a liturgical
celebration. This liturgical celebration with music and prayers can take
place in two distinct ways:
1. With the celebration of the Eucharist (Mass)
2. Without the Eucharist (Mass)
Both are valid Catholic celebrations. You will need to decide on have
your wedding with or without a Mass. The priest or deacon can help
you with this decision as well. The religious affiliation and sentiments
of your family and guests may be factors to consider in making this
decision.
If the Mass is to be celebrated, Catholics should make all necessary
preparations so that they may receive communion worthily, including,
if necessary, participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation
(confession). Also, you may invite your Catholic family members or
friends to serve as Eucharistic Ministers, if they have been trained.

or deacon who is helping you to find some. It is customary to give a

$10 stipend to the altar servers. One or two servers will suffice.

THE PARTS OF YOUR WEDDING

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
The marriage liturgy gives high regard to the place of Sacred Scripture,
as does all Catholic liturgy. The Liturgy of the Word highlights the
importance of Christian marriage in the history of salvation, and the
gift that marriage is to the Church and the world. You are invited to
help choose the scripture readings for your wedding. The priest or
deacon will provide you with a list of recommended readings from
which to choose. There may be three or four scripture readings
according to the following pattern.
PATTERN 1
1. An Old Testament Reading
2. Responsorial Psalm (may be sung)
3. A New Testament Reading (not a Gospel)
4. A Gospel Reading (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John)
PATTERN 2
1. A Reading from either the Old or New Testament
2. Responsorial Psalm (may be sung)
3. A Gospel Reading
You are welcome to choose from among your family or friends one or
two persons to serve as readers. They should be baptized Christians
and accustomed to reading in public. They will be provided with a
copy of the reading for their preparation. The priest or deacon will
read the Gospel.

If you are having a wedding Mass, you will need altar servers. You
may provide your own, if they are trained, or you can notify the priest
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MUSIC
Great care should be given to the selection of music for your wedding.
The words and songs must reflect the spiritual nature of marriage and
be considered sacred or Christian music. Only Sacred or Christian
music is used in Catholic Weddings. Your reception is a wonderful
time to play non-sacred music that is special and meaningful to you.
If you choose to use the musicians from St. Augustines, they will help
you as best as they can with selecting music. It is customary and just
to offer a stipend to the musicians. A $75 stipend is standard and
should be given directly to the musicians. Please give the musicians 46 weeks notice.
PREPARING AND DECORATING THE CHURCH
As Catholics we love beautiful things and want you to have a beautiful
wedding. These are a few simple guidelines for you.
1. Feel free to make the church beautiful with flowers! You may
have as many flowers as you wish.
2. Please do not place any flowers on top of the altar. They may
be placed in front and along the side of the altar but not on top.
3. If there already decorations in the church because of a special
liturgical feast such as Christmas, please ask about changing the
decorations.
4. Please do not move the furnishings without the permission of
the priest.
5. Only silk or artificial petals are to be sprinkled down the center
aisle. This is because real flowers stain the carpet. Please
assign someone to pick up the petals after the wedding.
6. You may decorate the benches and the aisles.
7. The use of an arch or trellis is strongly discouraged. If used, it
may only be placed at the front entrance of the church.

THE REHEARSAL
The rehearsal usually takes place the day before the wedding. The
date and time will be set in consultation with the minister of your
wedding. Please try to have everyone present at the rehearsal who
is in the wedding.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographers and videographers are most welcome at your
wedding. The photographers need to ensure that they are not
obtrusive or interrupting the ceremony. During the liturgy, all
photographs must be taken from the side, and photographers may
not cross the sanctuary or altar platform.
AFTER THE WEDDING
The church needs to be returned to they was it was found after the
wedding. Please clean the brides room of any flower boxes,
papers, bags, the pews, etc. There is a small dumpster behind the
student center. You may leave flowers, if you wish.
No rice, birdseed or confetti may be used inside St. Augustines.
If they are used outside, please assign a person to sweep the stairs
and sidewalk.
WEDDING
RECEPTIONS
AS ST.
AUGUSTINES
St. Augustines
invites the
wedding couple
to use our social
hall for your
3

wedding reception or rehearsal dinner. Our social hall can

accommodate approximately 100 people.
Fees and Regulations for the Social Hall
1. Social Hall Rental Fee is $75.00 plus a $200.00 refundable
damage deposit. An insurance fee of $90 is also charged to
purchase liability insurance. This includes the full use of
the kitchen. Pleas provide two separate checks at the time
of reservation at least one month prior to your reception. A
room rental agreement will be filled out to reserve the hall.
2. The wedding couple is responsible for the clean up.
SOME MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
1. The wedding couple needs to obtain an Idaho Marriage
License in advance and presented at the time of rehearsal or
earlier. The couple does not need to be married civilly,
only to purchase the license.
2. It is customary to offer a stipend to the church for the and to
the minister. The suggested donation to the church is: $150.
The optional donation to the minister is a suggested 50.

St. Augustines Catholic Center

628 S. Deakin Ave.
Moscow, ID 83843
208-882-4613
E-mail contacts:
Pastor:
Father Caleb Vogel: fathervogel@gmail.com
Campus minister:
Katie Goodson: kgoodson@vandalcatholics.com
Office Manager:
Susie MacPherson: stauggies@gmail.com
www.stauggies.org

__________________________________________

We hope and pray that Our Lord richly bless

you as you prepare for your wedding. May
God bring the good work He as begun in you
to its final and beautiful completion!