Get married at Le Moyne
The people of the Le Moyne College Community congratulate
you on this most important decision in your lives, and we pray for your success
and your happiness. We want to do all
that we can to help you prepare for this special day. These reminders are to help you plan for
this very important event.
You are encouraged
to give considerable thought to planning the marriage ceremony. This will make it personal for you. It will also give you an opportunity to
include others in the liturgy. The
Diocese of Syracuse requires at least six months notice before a wedding date
can be set. We provide you with a
marriage handbook, “Together for Life,” which will help you choose Scripture
readings, prayers and blessings for your celebration. The priest, deacon, or
member of the marriage team will guide you in making these and other choices.
Other clergy may
participate. A relative or close friend
who is a priest or deacon may be invited to witness your marriage. They will be required to handle all aspects
of the wedding including paperwork. All documents required for a Roman Catholic
wedding must be turned into the office of Campus Ministry at least two months
before the scheduled date of marriage. If the college priest is not doing the
wedding, he is not expected to be involved with any of the details. (Please note that the required offering is
still given to the college.)
Weddings are
scheduled three hours apart to avoid conflicts. A fee of $ 700.00 is required for use of the Chapel. Payment of $ 350.00 is necessary to reserve the chapel for a particular
date and time. The balance is due 30 days before the wedding. In the event of
cancellation, a refund will be made in full up to two months prior to the
scheduled event.
The rehearsal is usually held the night
before the ceremony. Thirty minutes are reserved for the rehearsal. Please bring
the marriage license at this time and anything else to be used during the
ceremony. All weddings and rehearsals are expected
to begin on time.
The use of
any type of alcoholic beverages in or near the chapel is not appropriate and
not permitted.
An important
and necessary part of your marriage preparation is participation in the Pre-Marriage Program. This preparation will include interviews with the priest
or deacon, Pre-Marital Inventory, and participation in the Formal Marriage
Preparation Program. This preparation is
not an option.
Several official documents are required
during this time of preparation:
- A
Baptismal certificate obtained from the church of baptism dated within six
months of the wedding date.
- A
Certificate from the Engaged Encounter or Marriage Preparation Program.
- Your
wedding license which can be obtained anywhere in New York State, at a
village, town, or city clerk's office, at least 24 hours before and not
more than 60 days before the time of the wedding. At this time, no blood test is required.
It is customary that you provide flowers
for your wedding and leave them for the weekend celebrations. Suggested arrangements would be: one
arrangement on either side of the altar, or one on each side. Candles are not
to be included in floral arrangements.
Since the chapel is carpeted, a runner
is not really necessary. If you desire
a runner please check with your florist.
The aisle at Le Moyne is 30’ long. Additionally, the Chapel
furnishings (chairs, altar, ambo, etc.) may not be moved.
Music is an
important part of your wedding liturgy.
It should be appropriate for the occasion and chosen with great
care. The Campus Ministry Music Director
is Tom Andino (468-9761). You should
contact him as soon as possible to let him know the date and time of your
wedding. If he is not available on your
date he will give you the name and number of our other Campus Ministry
contracted musician.
The stipend for the musician is $ 200.00. This fee includes
playing (organ/piano) for the service, one consultation visit, and one
rehearsal with a Campus Ministry contracted cantor. During your consultation visit you will be
guided through the wedding ceremony, assisted in selecting music, and aided in
program preparation. If you wish to use
someone else as your wedding musician, it is expected that Tom or the other
Campus Ministry contracted musician will still receive their stipend.
In addition to an organist/pianist, the wedding liturgy
mandates that a cantor/soloist be present to assist the assembly and lead the
parts of the liturgy that are to be sung.
Tom will take care of hiring the vocalist from one of our contracted
cantors and will provide the name to you as soon as he can for payment
arrangements. This fee ranges from $
100.00 - $ 200.00 depending on the soloist.
You are welcome to use additional vocalists and/or
instrumentalists, however, there must be at least one rehearsal between Tom, or
the other Campus Ministry contracted musician, and any additional musicians.
(Note: Additional vocalists do not replace the contracted cantor.) Rehearsals with additional instrumentalists
or vocalists are billed at a rate of $ 50.00 per hour. (Note: This $ 50.00 fee is not included in
the $ 200.00 wedding music fee.) Payment
arrangements for extra rehearsals will be discussed, if they apply, at the
consultation visit. There is no additional fee for rehearsals between the
college contracted musician and the college contracted cantor. Secular music from movies, Broadway shows, the radio etc.
may not be used during the actual wedding ceremony but with discretion may be
allowed as prelude music. The use of prerecorded
music (CDs, mp3, etc.) is generally not permitted.
We hate to
strike a negative tone on your wedding day, but there are three restrictions we
consider especially important:
- We ask that you inform your wedding party and
guests that no rice, confetti, bird seed, or anything else is thrown inside or
outside the Chapel. They are very
difficult to clean up. The mess presents
a problem for the next wedding and weekend services. Since rice is food and
much of the world is starving, it seems inappropriate to use food in this
fashion.
- We ask that you inform everyone that only the
professional still and/or video photographers are allowed to take pictures or
film during the ceremony. They should check with the priest before the
ceremony. Photographers should be as
unobtrusive as possible. It is our
experience that pictures taken by family and guests only distract and detract
from the beauty and the solemnity of your wedding day. We try to schedule weddings so that there is
sufficient time after the ceremony to allow for pictures by family and
friends. We thank you for your
consideration in these matters.
- Nothing may be taped or tacked to the
chairs. Pipe cleaners or similar devices
may be used to attach ribbons or other decorations.
- If anyone
wishes to receive the sacrament of Penance they should do so sometime before
the wedding and not at the rehearsal.
You may call the priest for an appointment.
We want to do all that we can to be sure that everything
goes well for you during this time of planning and preparation. Our prayers
are with you not only for this day but also for the years ahead.
Congratulations!