Weddings at St. Mark's

The first step - Call the church office (388-2681) at least three months prior to the proposed date of the wedding. Your call will be referred to Sue Engemann, wedding coordinator, who can answer preliminary questions, make an appointment for you to see the Rector, and will mail you a wedding information brochure.

Weddings at St. Mark’s are normally restricted to parish members and their children. Other weddings are at the sole discretion of the Rector. It is understood that a clergy member of St. Mark’s staff must participate in all weddings.

If either party has been divorced, at least four months notice is required prior to the proposed date of the wedding. Any member of the clergy of the Diocese of Florida needs the consent of the Bishop to officiate at the wedding of persons whose former marriage has ended in divorce. Here are the guidelines and consent forms from the Diocese of Florida.

During the initial meeting with the Rector, a date is cleared on the Church calendar, and a decision made as to which member of the clergy staff will officiate. Normally, weddings are not scheduled during Lent (six weeks prior to Easter) due to the penitential nature of this special church season and the very busy parish calendar.

To avoid any embarrassment or misunderstanding, no announcement of a wedding at St. Mark’s should be made before the couple has met with the Rector, and a date and officiate have been confirmed.

There will be a St. Mark’s priest present and officiating at St. Mark’s weddings in the Church or Chapel. If a guest clergy is requested, the Rector is to be consulted first. Upon agreement, the Rector will invite the guest clergy to participate in the wedding. This should be discussed with the rector before any conversation with guest clergy.

The couple then makes an appointment to meet with the officiating priest to begin pre-marital counseling. A minimum of three meetings or attendance of the Premarital Workshop Weekend is required. The couple will also be instructed to meet with Sue Engemann, wedding coordinator, and Nancy Reiser, organist-choirmaster.

At the meeting with the parish wedding coordinator, questions regarding church fees, flowers, photography, etc. can be addressed. This is also the time to tour the facilities to be used by the bridal party, and discuss any additional information or assistance needed.

A meeting with the organist-choirmaster should be arranged as early as possible in the planning stages of the wedding. The St. Mark’s Organist is the organist for all weddings at this parish; if unavailable, she will secure a qualified substitute. If a soloist is desired (vocal or instrumental), the organist makes all the arrangements for securing one. Should the services of another organist be preferred, the usual fee for the church organist shall be paid in addition to that of the guest organist. She will discuss musical possibilities, and consult with the couple on appropriate selections. To assist the couple in making decisions, a tape of musical selections is available for them to take home and review.

Although there is no charge to members for use of the church buildings, a basic fee of $750 is charged to cover the costs of the wedding coordinator, altar guild, sexton, organist, acolyte, premarital testing and counseling. If necessary, additional fees are charged for rehearsals for outside musicians and soloists. If Leatherbury Hall is used for the reception, an additional fee is charged to cover the cost of sextons and the use of the facility.

The staff of St. Mark’s extends to you our congratulations! We want to work with you to insure that your wedding is a sacrament that publicly honors God’s will and your loving commitment.