Weddings in the Cathedral Basilica
SAINT AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA
The Catholic Church believes that God is the author of marriage.
Therefore, marriage is not just a human institution despite the many civil, social and cultural structures that are
placed upon the union of a man and woman.
Marriage is a sacrament that “bears the imprint of God’s love. Thus, when a marriage is celebrated in the community of faith --
the Church -- the man and woman who become husband and wife state publicly that they wish to cooperate with God in being a sign of His love for all the world."
Thank you for considering us for your wedding. We have prepared this guide to provide you with the necessary information and details for booking and planning your ceremony.
Preliminary Information
1. Couples who are preparing for marriage who reside in the Diocese of St. Augustine are to begin marriage preparation no less than eight (8) months prior to the desired date
of the wedding. Couples who come to St. Augustine from outside the Diocese of St. Augustine will follow the norms established in the Diocese in which they reside.
2. The priests and deacons of St. Augustine only prepare and officiate at weddings of its registered parishioners. All other couples are to make arrangements with another priest
or deacon to complete the requirements for marriage preparation. The couple will also need to secure the services of a priest or deacon to officiate at the wedding. If you are
in need of a priest or deacon to officiate, a personal ask by the couple is usually received the best.
3. The priest or deacon who will be responsible for marriage preparation must be willing to coordinate the diocesan requirements for marriage preparation, obtain dispensations
and permissions that are needed, and prepare the documents that are needed. Effective July 1, 2011, priests or deacons from outside the Diocese of Saint Augustine must include a Letter of Good Standing in the completed wedding file. This letter must come from their chancery.
4. Before a wedding can be placed on the calendar of the Cathedral, the priest(s) or deacon(s) who will officiate at the wedding and/or coordinate marriage preparation must
send confirmation (letter or e-mail) that he commits to officiate at the wedding and/or is assuming responsibility for the couple’s preparation. This confirmation letter or email
must also state that the celebrant priest or deacon commits to provide a Letter of Good Standing issued by his diocese. If your preparation priest and your celebrant are not the
same priest/deacon, a letter from each is required. The couple must also submit a completed wedding agreement and submit a 50% deposit check.
[Please note – We do NOT tentatively schedule weddings on the calendar.]
5. All contact with the Cathedral Parish regarding wedding scheduling/planning must be via the bride or groom only. The wedding planner may be copied in the emails.
Time for Weddings and Rehearsals
Weddings may be scheduled on the following days depending on availability: Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. Fridays at 4:00 p.m. Weddings are scheduled for 1 hour.
You have access to the church 1 hour prior to the wedding start time and 1/2-hour following the wedding.
Please respect this time as there may be another wedding, Mass, or the hearing of confessions following your liturgy.
Please remember that you are still in a house of prayer and there will
be people coming into the church.
Weddings are not permitted: During the Easter Triduum, Thanksgiving Day or the 2
days following, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day, Our
Feast Day (August 28th) and Friday’s during Nights of Lights. Also note that the Night of
Lights greatly increases activity in the downtown area and around the Cathedral
mid-November to mid-January.
Rehearsals are normally scheduled the day prior to the wedding on:
Thursdays at 5:00 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. or Fridays at 6:00 p.m.
Rehearsals MUST BEGIN PROMPTLY and last no more than 1 hour. Your celebrant
must be present. The marriage coordinator will wait no more than 10 minutes for a
wedding rehearsal to begin.
Fees and Offerings
Your fee will be determined by the Cathedral Pastor and is based solely on the current parishioner status of the bride or groom only (not parents or other relatives). The Cathedral Parish does not accept any appeals nor grant any exceptions to the established church fees.
• $500.00 - For registered & contributing Cathedral Parish members of one year or more at the time of contract submission plus living within the parish boundaries.
• $1,500.00 - For registered & contributing Cathedral Parish members of less than one year at the time of contract submission
plus living within the parish boundaries or
registered members of another parish within the boundaries of the Diocese of St. Augustine.
• $4,000.00 - Members of Parishes outside the Diocese of St. Augustine.
Music in the Catholic Liturgy is always considered the norm.
The Cathedral Parish church fees do not include the services of the Cathedral Parish’s music personnel
or an honorarium for the priest or deacon who is the officiant at your
wedding. Our Cathedral Organist will contact you in advance of your wedding day to
plan the music. The fee for the Cathedral organist ($250) and one of our parish’s
cantors ($150) (both required) is $400.00.
Honorariums for the priest/deacon who celebrates the wedding as well as for any
additional ministers you request (for example altar servers) are to be covered by you.
The minimum for Catholic clergy in the United States is generally considered to be
$250.00 payable to them at the Rehearsal.
We recommend that you hire off duty police security for the front doors of the Cathedral
Basilica to manage visitors and uninvited guests by emailing:
The St. Augustine Police
Department to make arrangements.
Email: events@SAPD.com
A deposit of 50% of the above church fee is required when you submit the signed
contract for the wedding. The balance of the church fee is due 30 days prior to the
wedding. Should you cancel your wedding, the deposit is refundable (less a $50.00
administration fee) up to seven months prior to the wedding date. If you cancel within 7
months of your wedding date you forfeit the total deposit.
The following must be received in order to reserve a date for a wedding in the Cathedral Parish
1) Confirmation(s) from the priest(s) or deacon(s) letter or e-mail that explicitly state that
he will officiate at the wedding and/or is assuming responsibility for your marriage
preparation. If the same priest or deacon is assuming responsibility for both preparation
and officiating, one letter is acceptable. Priests/deacons from outside the Diocese of
Saint Augustine must also state that they commit to providing a Letter of Good Standing
issued by their chancery. The Letter of Good Standing is to be included in the completed wedding file.
2) A completed, signed contract from the couple.
3) A 50% deposit of the qualifying church fee. (Payable to the Cathedral Parish)
Submission of the above items may be sent to cathweddings@gmail.com or mailed/delivered to the Parish Office.
Cathedral Parish
Attention Weddings
35 Treasury Street
St. Augustine, FL 32084.
Office hours are Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and Fridays 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Office telephone: 904-824-2806.
Questions
All questions concerning the scheduling of weddings in the Cathedral Parish are to be directed to the wedding scheduler email: cathweddings@gmail.com
Contract, Guidelines & Information Documents
Wedding Info and Guidelines at the Cathedral Basilica
Wedding Contract for the Cathedral Basilica
Wedding Music Guidelines for the Cathedral Baslilica
Weddings in the National Shrine
OF OUR LADY OF LA LECHE
Wedding Contract for the Shrine
