Decorating the Church for Your Wedding

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It is a joy to have you consider being married at St. Vincent's in Petaluma. Marriage is a special Sacrament which you and your fiancé will celebrate in the presence of God, your witnesses and the community of your family and friends. The Church wants to help you make this religious ceremony one of the happiest moments of your life. The following information will help insure that your ceremony will be filled with memories for you to treasure.

1. Since St. Vincent's is a busy church, decorating is confined to one-half hour before the wedding is scheduled to begin. Decorations need to be removed one-half hour following the wedding.

2. Decorations and flowers may be shared. Call the Rectory to find out if there are any other weddings on the same day as yours. You are responsible to make arrangements with another bride(s) to share decorations and/or flowers.

3. Since the primary function of the church is for liturgical celebrations of the parish community, at certain seasons of the year there will be liturgical decorations. If your wedding takes place during Advent, Lent, Easter, Christmas, The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, or other special liturgical celebrations, the church will be decorated for these events. Such decorations may not be either moved or changed. You may want to use the existing decorations to enhance your own. To avoid any unhappiness, please check with the Rectory to find out if your wedding will be affected by this regulation.

4. In addition to the above special liturgical seasonal celebrations, any existing decorations in the sanctuary belong to the church community. You are welcome to use them. Please replace any such decorations if you choose not to use them for your wedding. Check with the priest or the wedding coordinator if you have any special requests.

5. No decorations are allowed in front of the tabernacle. The church appointments (e.g. altar, candlestands, ambo/pulpit) are not to be rearranged or moved.

6. Kindly note that if special candelabra are placed in the church sanctuary, because of fire regulations only the candles actually on the altar will be lit. If candles are carried they must remain unlit. No candles are permitted attached to the pews. The lighting of a unity candle is acceptable, but it is your responsibility to provide one.

7. Decorations for doorways, pews, and altar areas may be attached by clips, pipe cleaners, rubber bands or ribbon. The use of any of the following is not allowed: nails, staples, tack, wire, masking or cellophane tape, and any other kind of adhesive materials.

8. The following are not allowed, either inside or outside the church building: flower petals, glaze, rice, birdseed, or any other such substance. These materials make the stairs very slippery, can cause serious accidents, and ruin the carpet.

9. We believe that the flowers with which you decorate in the sanctuary are not simply decorations; rather they are truly a sign of joy, love, and vitality on your wedding day. The Church relies on wedding flowers for weekend Eucharistic celebrations, and we would appreciate it if you leave arrangements on the altar as an offering to the Church.

10. A $100 cleaning deposit is needed in order to reserve a wedding date. This will be refunded after the wedding if the church is left in the same conditions as existed before your wedding.

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