• About Emmaus

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• Journey Into Marriage

• Wedding Requirements
• Photographer Guidelines
• Videographers Guidelines
• Florist Guidelines
• Musician Recommendations
• Music Guidelines

Wedding Requirements

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!  We are pleased that you would like to have your wedding at Emmaus Parish and we wish to help you to celebrate your joy.  These guidelines are designed to answer as many questions as possible and to instruct you on marriage preparation and your wedding.  Both members of the couple should read these guidelines.  Because of the length of time needed for marriage preparation it is important to start this process at least 6 months prior to the intended date of the wedding.
 
How to get started in your marriage preparation:
 

• To be married in the Catholic Church, one of you must be a baptized Catholic.  For couples in which one is not Catholic, a dispensation is needed for a mixed marriage.  That will be explained to you and the process for that initiated at your initial interview.  In order to receive that dispensation, the Catholic member of the couple must sign a statement that he/she intends to continue practicing the Catholic faith and to have children baptized and raised Catholics.
• Your initial contact at the parish is the parish secretary.  Call her at 512-261-8500.  Other ministers and staff members who will be involved with your preparation and the wedding itself will be the following:
  • Fr. Jim Evans: after your initial contact with the office Fr. Jim Evans will meet with you.  He will meet with you to do the required paperwork, go over these guidelines and instruct you on the total process.  His contact information is: phone 512-261-8500; fax 512-261-8200; e-mail him at wedding@emmauslakeway.com.   
  • Wedding coordinators:  our parish wedding coordinators will meet with you to assist you in your wedding planning.  They also coordinate both the rehearsal and the actual wedding itself.  If you hire an outside wedding coordinator, that coordinator has no role in the rehearsal or in the wedding.  Please make sure that your hired coordinator understands that.  They need not be present at the rehearsal and may sit with the congregation during the wedding if they like.
  • For a wedding in the context of a liturgy of the word (without the liturgy of the Eucharist), you may request a deacon from Emmaus to preside.  If you are not a member of Emmaus parish and wish to have a deacon from your own parish preside, that is acceptable (please see requirements for guest priests & deacons at weddings at Emmaus).
  • If you wish to have a wedding in the context of a mass, you may request a priest from Emmaus to preside if you are an active contributing member of the parish (please see definition below).  Please keep in mind that they have limited availability on wedding dates.  Please have options for at least several dates in mind when you contact them.
  • If you are not an active contributing member of the parish, you are required to ask a priest from your parish or deacon to preside (see further information on what is required for guest priests or deacons to preside).
• Baptismal Records (Baptized Catholics) Contact the parish of your baptism and ask for a new copy of your sacramental records.  Please note that if you received first Eucharist and/or confirmation at a parish other than your parish of baptism your parish of baptism has those records and they will be notated on the back of the new copy of your records.  That is the reason that we cannot use a copy of your original records.
• Baptismal Records (Baptized non-Catholics).  Please provide a copy of your baptismal certificate from your church.  If that is not available, you may ask your pastor or your parents to provide a letter stating that you were baptized.
• Have either of you been married before?  You have to have an annulment by the Catholic Church of any previous marriage(civil, Catholic, Protestant) to be married in the Catholic Church.  That applies both to Catholics and to non-Catholics.  In many cases this slows down the marriage preparation process since we cannot schedule a wedding until any needed annulments have been received.  If you have been married before, without exception, you must to bring that to the attention of Fr. Jim Evans immediately to determine, not if an annulment is needed, but what sort of an annulment is needed.  Failure to do so may result in cancellation of your wedding.

 
Fees
 
Active members of Emmaus Parish:  $200.00
Non-parishioners:                                   $650.00
Preparation only                                      $150.00
 
An active member of Emmaus parish is defined as one who has been registered and contributing regularly through the envelope system for a minimum of one year before contacting the parish about setting a wedding date.  Only the pastor can make exceptions to this requirement.  Participants in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at Emmaus are considered to be active members of the parish from the beginning of that process.
 
The wedding fee for non parishioners includes the cost of building use, cost of staff time dedicated to your wedding and clean-up after the wedding.
 
The fee for active contributing parishioners covers only a portion of the basic costs to the parish in recognition of the ongoing support already provided by active parishioners.
 
For non-parishioners, if you cancel your wedding for any reason your fee will be returned to you minus $100.
 
For active parishioners, the entire fee is returned in the event of a cancellation unless you prefer to make it a donation to the parish.
 
The building use fee must be paid before the wedding date can be confirmed.
 
All wedding music at Emmaus is under the director of the parish Director of Music.  His name is John Guarino.  Please contact him as soon as possible after you wedding date is confirmed at the at 512-261-8500 or at john.guarino@emmauslakeway.comafter Aug. 16, 2010.
 
When an honorarium is not included in the overall fee, it is customary to give an honorarium to the priest or deacon who presides at your wedding.  Please keep in mind that he is pivotal to making your wedding day the day of beauty and blessing that it is meant to be.  That requires of him a significant amount of work and effort apart from his other duties.  If you would like altar servers from Emmaus parish to serve at your wedding, they are to receive an honorarium as well.
 
Confirmation of your wedding date
 
You will receive a letter confirming your wedding date after:
 

• Necessary paperwork is on file at Emmaus Catholic Parish.
• A priest or deacon has agreed to preside and delegation forms (for guest priests or deacons) are filed at the parish office.
• The building use fee is paid.

 
Please note:  Do not make reservations for receptions or any other events until you have this confirmation letter.  Until you receive that letter we cannot guarantee your wedding date.  If you make reservations before receiving that letter and we find that we cannot reserve your requested date Emmaus will not be responsible for solving resultant problems and issues that that may cause for you.
 
Arranging for a guest priest or deacon.
 
Please remember that if you are arranging for a wedding within the context of a liturgy of the word (without a mass) you may arrange either for a deacon from Emmaus or a deacon from your own parish to preside.  If you wish to have your wedding within the context of the mass a priest from Emmaus they can preside only at the weddings of those who meet the criteria of active members of the parish.
 
Non parishioners who wish to have their wedding within the context of a mass must arrange for a priest from their own parish to preside or arrange for another priest to preside.
 
Guest priests and deacons must be delegated with the authority to preside.  That is done by following this process.
 

1. Contact the deacon or priest whom you wish to preside at your wedding at Emmaus parish.  You will need to check on possible wedding dates at Emmaus before doing this.
2. Secure his agreement to preside and determine when he is available to do so.
3. Ask Fr. Jim Evans at Emmaus to send him a delegation form.  The priest who will preside must sign this and return it to Emmaus where it must be signed by the pastor before we can schedule your wedding.

 
Please keep in mind that the deacon/priest presiding at your wedding is totally responsible for your marriage preparation.  He may decide to have you follow the process in place at Emmaus or he may have his own process of preparation.  Please contact him to find out how he wishes to proceed.
 
Arranging for a date and time.
 
Rehearsals are normally scheduled in the afternoon or early evening on the Friday prior to the wedding.  They are one hour in length.  Rehearsals may also be scheduled earlier in the week if the church is available. 
 
The times on Saturday for weddings at Emmaus are 10:00 AM; 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM.   All of those times are not available on every weekend.
 
Weddings may not be scheduled on Sundays.
 
No weddings may be scheduled during Lent.  Lent is a season of reconciliation and reflection.  Thus festive celebrations are not consistent with the spirit of that season.  There are other weekends on which weddings cannot be scheduled for a number of reasons.  Please consult with the parish office on what is available before deciding on your wedding date.
 
When a holy day of obligation falls on a Saturday no weddings are scheduled on that day.
 
The following must be completed before setting a date and time for your wedding
 

• Initial paperwork must be on file.  That includes a pre-nuptial questionnaire, copies of your sacramental records and, if an annulment of a previous marriage is needed (all previous marriages), that must be on file as well.
• If a guest priest or deacon is presiding at your wedding a delegation form signed by him must be on file in our office. 
• If a deacon from Emmaus or the pastor is presiding at your wedding you must have his agreement on the date and time.
• An affidavit of free status must be on file.
• The wedding fee must be remitted.

 
Please note that weddings for non-parishioners cannot be set prior to twelve months before the wedding date.  This is necessary in order to avoid possible conflicts in scheduling with other parish events.  Active parishioners may, in certain circumstances, with the approval of the pastor, schedule their wedding dates prior to twelve months before the wedding.  However requested dates will need to be reviewed by the pastoral staff and approved by the pastor.  Please keep in mind that because of the need to hold dates for possible parish events options prior to twelve months will be very limited.
 
When these steps are completed you may request your rehearsal and wedding dates and times.  You will receive a confirmation letter on those dates and times from the parish office.  Again, do not make any reservations for anything until you have that letter in hand. 
 
Marriage preparation programs
 
Both members of the couple should read these guidelines thoroughly and discuss them.  Please make sure that you discuss issues such as permanence of marriage, fidelity, children as well as your values and goals.
 
Whether a priest or a deacon from Emmaus or a priest or deacon from another parish is presiding at your wedding it is your responsibility to make arrangements for your marriage preparation programs.  Those include a diocesan accredited program of instruction and a natural family planning class.  The parish will provide for you information on those programs at your first interview.
 
General Information
 

• Planning the liturgy: If you are working with a priest or deacon from Emmaus parish you will receive a copy of a booklet, Together for Life, as a guidebook on planning your wedding liturgy.  You will need to review that and fill out the form in the back of the book before meeting with the priest or deacon presiding at your wedding or with the wedding coordinators in the weeks prior to your wedding.  They will review that with you at that time.  All couples who are working with the pastor of Emmaus must meet with him within three weeks prior to their wedding in order to review the liturgy.
• Interfaith marriages:  With a few exceptions these marriages are celebrated in the context of a Liturgy of the Word because the Catholic Church does not offer open communion.  Please discuss this with the priest or deacon who is presiding.
  • Communion services are not permitted within the context of a liturgy of the word celebration.
• Marriage license:  The couple is responsible for obtaining a marriage license from the Travis County Courthouse.  You may obtain it between 30 days and 72 hours prior to your wedding.  Please note that the only way to obtain a license after the 72 hour limit has passed is by obtaining a judge’s permission and that is very difficult to obtain.  Do not procrastinate.  It is best to bring the license directly to Emmaus immediately after obtaining it so that we can keep it on file for your wedding.
• Program: If you are having a program printed for your wedding please have the Order of the Liturgy approved by the priest or deacon presiding prior to final printing.
• Items not permitted as part of weddings at Emmaus: rice, birdseed, flower petals, aisle runners, unity candles.
• Photographs during the liturgy:  We gather for weddings in the context of sacred ceremony.  For that reason only the professional photographer functioning under strict guidelines is permitted to take photographs during the wedding liturgy.  Please inform family members and friends of that restriction prior to the wedding.  It is also a good idea to include this restriction as a notation in your program.
• The Church:  The church is a House of God.  Therefore everyone is asked to keep that in mind and to demonstrate respect for where they are.  Please ask parents of young children to monitor them closely and to keep them seated.
• Children’s safety issues:  For the sake of the security and safety of children they are never to be apart from direct adult supervision while on church property.  That means that children may not wander the parish property alone.  Also children who need to leave the pews during the liturgy to go to the bathroom must be accompanied by an adult.  Please include that as a notation in your program.

 
Rehearsals:
 

• As noted above you will schedule your rehearsal when you schedule your wedding.
• All who are in the wedding are required to be at the rehearsal  That includes all groomsmen and bridesmaids, the best man and the maid/matron of honor, lectors, ring bearers, flower girls, Eucharistic ministers, padrinos, parents of the bride and groom and ushers.  Members of the wedding party not being at the rehearsal can lead to mistakes being made at the actual wedding.  Our goal is to assure that the bride and groom feel confident about the liturgy when they leave the rehearsal.  That requires the presence of everyone who will have a part in the wedding liturgy.
• The rehearsal may be conducted by the priest or deacon presiding, by the parish wedding coordinators or by a combination of the two.  The deacon/priest presiding will let you know how that will work. 
• Rehearsals must begin on time because there are often other events in the church after the scheduled end of the rehearsal time.  Please make sure that all members of the wedding party arrive thirty minutes prior to the scheduled rehearsal time.
• All outstanding musician fees must be settled prior to the rehearsal.
• Couples whose weddings will be presided over by a priest of Emmaus parish are to do the following.  Those who are working with other priests or deacons please consult with them on their requirements.
  • Bring your marriage license to him as soon as you receive it from the county courthouse.  Do not wait until the day of the rehearsal.
  • Tell your lectors that he will have copies of the readings at the rehearsal for them to use for practice purposes.
• Professional Wedding Planners:  If you hire a professional wedding planner please make sure that that planner understands that he/she has no role in the rehearsal or the actual wedding.  Those are under the guidance of the priest or deacon presiding and the parish wedding coordination ministry.  A professional wedding planner may help you to coordinate photographs after the wedding within the context of parish guidelines and under the instruction of the parish wedding coordinators assigned to your wedding.

 
Couples must sign the attach form attesting that they understand and agree to the requirements of Emmaus Parish Wedding Requirements
 
 
 
Revised: July 2010