At the rehearsal

1. Wear one of the name tags that are kept in the “Admin Drawer.”
2. Introduce yourself to the bride and groom and parents.
3. See the check list and ask questions as needed, e.g., Who has the rings?
4. Clear the commons of unnecessary items.  You can place them in the kitchen or Room 2.
5. Remind all that there is NO ALCOHOL on church property before or after the ceremony.
6. Remind bridal party to keep recessing down to the hallway to allow guests to come out of Worship Space.
7. There is NO receiving line at church due to time and space.
8. We don’t use any cloth or paper for the aisle either
9. Artificial flowers are ok for the flower girls to toss but not real ones.  The wedding party is responsible for cleaning up the petals.

On wedding day

1. At least one of you should arrive one hour early.
2. Turn lights on
3. Check on the temperature in rooms----(thermostats are in rooms 2 and 3)
4. Put two large chairs from the reconciliation room up front.
5. Light the candle on the gift table
6. See if needed and provide water and cups for bridal party.
7. Light Paschal candle and altar candles 30 minutes before ceremony
8. Make sure flowers are in the right place in front of Altar and/or ambo (Nothing should be higher than the Altar itself.)
9. Place worship aids on chairs in the worship space to reserve seats for bridal party, parents, grandparents.
10. Place rest of worship aids on the table in the center of commons
11. Check on who really has the rings
12. Remind the Best Man and Maid of Honor to go to the sacristy after the ceremony and before pictures start to sign the papers.
13. If there is Mass, prepare hosts/wine and credence table. (See separate sheet of info.)

Preparation

On the presider’s table:

• Wedding Rite book (Father carries his in with him.)
• Worship aid
• Sacramentary if there is Mass (set this book to Wedding III)

Time Table

20 minutes before

• Have ushers seat guests (Ushers and you can remind guests to turn off/mute cell phones.)
• If asked, guests may take pictures (flash too) from their seats.
• You may need to ask groups of guests in the commons/outside to go be seated.

5 minutes before

• Give the wedding party a 5-minute warning
• Line up grandmothers for seating (mothers too, if not part of procession
• May peal the bells

3 minutes before

• Grandmothers seated
• Mothers seated if necessary
• Bridal party lines up
  • Cross—If no cross bearer, then the cross should be in place already)
  • Gospel—if lectors don’t want to carry this up, it can be in place on the Altar already)
  • Presider—let Fr. get in place at the platform before the rest walk in.
  • Groomsmen
  • Groom and parents
  • Flower girl and ring bearer according to rehearsal
  • Bridesmaids
  • Maid of honor/matron of honor
  • Bride and parents (they can stay in the hallway until groom gets down the aisle)

Close the doors after the bride enters.
Guests may be seated up until the procession but not again until the gathering song is played.  And like at Mass, guests MAY NOT BE SEATED DURING ANY OF THE READINGS OR THE PSALM.  Guests must wait until the Gospel Acclamation or after the Gospel reading to go in.)

Recessional—Open outside doors and doors to the worship space

1. Peal the bells as B & G near the doors. (F555 “ok”)
2. Bride and groom should walk all the way to the hallway
3. Attendants (remind ushers about escorting mothers and grandmothers out)
4. Mother of the bride
5. Mother of the groom
6. Grandmothers at the same time

After the Ceremony

1. Ask some men to help put the large chairs back into the reconciliation room
2. Snuff out the candles (you don’t have to wait until after the pictures are taken.)
3. Clean the communion vessels and put away.
4. Put away water pitcher and cups
5. The wedding party is responsible for cleaning rooms used as well as worship space (pew decorations, etc.) However, we can double check to see they have all of their things and straighten up as needed.
6. Recycle programs that the Bride and Groom don’t need to keep.
7. You can leave lights on and doors unlocked if this is Saturday afternoon.  Otherwise, turn off all lights and use the Allyn wrench (labeled “Commons” and kept in sacristy Admin drawer) to lock the doors or Father may lock up.

For Communion

1. Use these vessels unless Father desires different ones.
2. Place one large host (24 pieces when broken) on top of smaller hosts in the paten. (count enough smaller ones for number of guests who may receive)
3. You will need at least ½ cup of wine depending on number to receive. 
4. Place the paten with hosts and the pitcher with wine on the gifts table before the ceremony.
5. Set the credence table—use the tray to carry items.

• One corporal(large white cloth folded in thirds twice)
• One small white towel
• Purificators (one for each cup plus 1 extra)
• Presider cup (nicest one) with purificator and paten
• One or two more cups depending on the number of Eucharistic Ministers
• One or two bowls determined by how many Eucharistic Ministers (if only Father then just use the paten.)
• Small pewter cruet of water and cut glass bowl (lavabo) for washing of hands

6. At the Lamb of God, take the Ciborium up to the Altar. (Tabernacle key is in the safe.)
7. You may need to help direct the guests up to Communion.(Of course Bride and Groom , then bridal party and family, then finish front to back)
8. You can receive last and then sit near the Altar to bring the Ciborium back to the Chapel.

Eucharistic Ministers

1. We prefer that EMS are from SSM or at least one of them.  But Father may ok it anyway.
2. Before the ceremony, determine who will be on which side of Fr..  The one to Father’s right will serve the Bride and Groom.
3. Go up onto the platform at the Lamb of God(if there are more than two EMs they need to stand on the floor to the side of the Altar as at our Mass)
4. Receive Communion from the presider.  Consume Eucharist after the Presider has done so.
5. Take a cup and purificator from the Altar.
6. Stand to either side of the Presider.
7. Follow the Presider’s lead in serving the bride and groom.
8. Serve the musicians and then consume the rest of the wine before returning to your seats.

Head Minister

At offertory song—

• Go to credence table
• Take tray [Chalice, corporal, cups, purificators and lavabo set (water pitcher, bowl and towel)] to the Altar
• Take the items off the tray and place each on the Altar
• Make sure the sacramentary is on the Altar
• Proceed off the front of the platform down center aisle to the gifts table (sometimes you will need to nod to the gift bearers to come with you)
• When Father comes down the steps, lead the gifts to him.
• Take the pitcher or paten from Fr. and go to the Altar.
• Hold the bowl, have the towel draped on one arm, and take the water pitcher from Fr.
• Return these items to the credence table
• Take the empty wine pitcher to the credence table

At the Lamb of God

• Proceed up onto the platform near the ambo
• Receive Communion
• When EMs and Fr. leave the Altar—put items on the tray, fold the corporal and take all to the credence table
• Return to your seat

At the end of the service

• When procession is out—clear off the credence table and return items to the sacristy
• Put out the candles, including the Paschal candle (yes, before the pictures start)—the snuffer is in the sound closet in the sacristy
• Make sure the large chairs are returned to the reconciliation room