Holy Cross-Immaculata Church follows the guidelines of the Roman Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for the celebration of weddings. All priests and deacons must use the official “Order of Celebrating Matrimony,” effective December 28, 2016.
The Wedding Coordinator will schedule your wedding and your rehearsal, coordinate wedding file requirements with your presider, and oversee the progress of your ceremony planning.
A wedding coordinator from our parish will also be available at the rehearsal and at the wedding. They have thorough knowledge and understanding of the lighting system and the sound system. They will have keys and access to all parish facilities and an “emergency kit". They will assist visiting clergy presiding at wedding ceremonies at our parish. They may facilitate the wedding rehearsal with the presider.
The volunteer wedding coordinator will inform guest musicians, florists and photographers of the relevant policies and guidelines of the parish. They will monitor unforeseen circumstances that may occur and communicate these to the presider, the wedding party, and others that need to be informed. And finally, they make sure the wedding party and processing family members are in the right place at the right time before the wedding, and they monitor the time allotted for pictures after the wedding.
The wedding coordinators at the rehearsal and wedding are volunteer parishioners - a $75 stipend is requested. For weddings scheduled after May 1, 2023, the stipend for the HCI coordinator is included in your fee.
If you have a personal wedding planner, please inform them that the parish Wedding Coordinator is the person designated to assist with the coordination of the rehearsal and the wedding ceremony at the church. They will reach out to you with standards and questions to review before the rehearsal - this is a good time to share contact information with your personal planner.
The wedding fee includes the assistance of our
Wedding Music Coordinator. This professional staff person is well qualified to assist you in planning the music for your wedding. This is done about 3 months before the wedding. In-person meetings are the norm, but online meetings are possible for out-of-town couples. The wedding music coordinator plays at the wedding, or provides a suitable substitute, and hires the cantor from a pool of experienced singers who specialize in singing for church services. These musicians are included in the wedding fee. The wedding music coordinator can assist you in hiring additional instrumentalists (trumpet, violin, quartet, etc.). They are totally optional, and a separate fee is paid directly to them.
Outside musicians (family, friends) may be allowed in addition to the music coordinator and cantor. An audition is required, preferably by recording. If, for very good reason, outside musicians are requested to provide the music instead of the parish musicians, the wedding music coordinator must approve them. The planning, and approval of all music selected is still the responsibility of the wedding music coordinator. Our first concern is that those providing music know the service, play and sing well, respect the church’s music equipment and follow the norms of good liturgy.
No recorded music may be used before, during, or after the wedding.
If an additional rehearsal is required, the fee of $125 may be paid directly to the wedding music coordinator. It is rare that an extra rehearsal is needed.
Immaculata Church is a place of dignity and prayer.
Since the Roman Catholic Church follows a liturgical calendar, there will be certain liturgical symbols and decorations present throughout the year, especially during Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. The seasonal environment is intended for all liturgical celebrations during that time of the year, including your wedding. The existing environmental features may not be changed or removed for your wedding unless you have received permission from our pastor or wedding coordinator.
Wedding and bridesmaid dresses should not include plunging necklines, sheer panels, deep-back gowns, and high slits. (Sleeves and covered shoulders are not required.)
You may bring flower arrangements to the church for your wedding celebration. No flowers or decorative items may be placed on the high altar (back center wall). Flower arrangements in front of or beside the main altar should not be taller than the altar.
If you would like to light a "Unity Candle," please save it for the reception. It is not part of the Rite of Matrimony, so it should not be part of your wedding ceremony here at HCI.
Because of the danger of slipping, an aisle runner and dropped flower petals are both prohibited. Any flowers attached to the pews must be attached only with ribbon or elastic – no wire or pins may be used. Items like rice, confetti, bird seed, etc. for throwing outside after the ceremony must be made of a biodegradable material.
Photography and videography are, of course, permitted, but they should not distract the wedding party, the presider, musicians, singers or your guests. Videographers should also make certain that any microphones used to not interfere with our sound system.
Photographers and videographers must position themselves in a place where they will not be blocking wedding guests or the wedding party. After the procession, the photographers may not position themselves in front of the front pew, and they may not linger in the main aisle, except behind the guest seated farthest from the altar. Photographers and videographers may never come up the steps into the sanctuary at any time.
Photographs may be taken before or after the ceremony when they do not interfere with the schedule of our weekend liturgies.
Whether your photographer/videographer is a professional, friend or family member, that person should always check with our wedding coordinator before the wedding so that instructions are clear.
The presider or wedding coordinator will help you decide how many Lectors (readers) and Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist you will need. It is helpful if all these ministers are present at the rehearsal so they can receive instructions and practice if necessary.
Only those who have been commissioned in their local parish can be an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.
An acolyte or altar server is not required if you are not having a Mass. If you do not have a friend or family member who can serve in this capacity, we will arrange for a member of our parish to assist in this capacity. It is customary that this person is given an honorarium or stipend of $40 by the bride and groom. We ask that you give the cash stipend to the Wedding Coordinator at the rehearsal to give to the server on the day of the wedding.
We do not limit or restrict the size of the wedding party, but please keep in mind that with a large wedding party, better organization is needed, and the possibility exists for more complications, creating more stress for the bride and groom. If you are trying to involve friends and family, ask the priest, the deacon, or the Wedding Coordinator for ideas. We will gladly suggest other ways they can be involved.
We
suggest that children participating in the procession be at least five years of age and are mature enough to process down the aisle without fear. The best policy is to assume that things will not go as planned. To help minimize stage fright, we recommend that you bring your young wedding participants to Mass a few times and to the rehearsal. Familiarizing them with the church can alleviate some of the wedding day anxiety.
The wedding party can relax in the parish center before the ceremony. Their valuables can be left locked in the parish center during the ceremony. Holy Cross – Immaculata Parish is not responsible for any items missing or stolen from the parish center, in the church or any other area.
Parking is limited in our parish lot. There are 26 marked spaces with the possibility of approximately 15-25 additional spaces if cars are double parked. A parking attendant is included in your fee. Other lots, garages, and street parking are available in Mt Adams. Overnight parking is not permitted. Parking is included at the Towne Properties lot for guests attending weddings receptions at The Monastery Event Center (after 5:00 on Friday). It might be advisable to use a private shuttle service in order to transport guests from the reception facility to our church. Shuttle companies that have proven to be Mt Adams friendly include but are not limited to: My Party Bus, A Savannah Nite Limousine Service, and Jimmy's Limousine Service.
The rehearsal time is to be arranged first with the presider. We cannot book it here at HCI more than six months before your wedding, so they do not interfere with the scheduling of other weddings. If there is a Friday evening wedding, rehearsals for any Saturday wedding the same weekend must be scheduled around it or for another day.
We do ask all visiting priests and deacons attend the rehearsal so that they can become familiar with our church and have a chance to meet with the wedding coordinator to make certain that everything is organized for the day of the wedding.
All members of the wedding party are expected to attend the rehearsal as well as anyone who will be part of the entrance procession. Anyone who will be reading during the ceremony is also asked to attend so that they can practice using the microphone at the Ambo. It is helpful to remind everyone to arrive on time. We allocate an hour for each rehearsal.
All Parish buildings are smoke free.
Please note that the intoxication of any member of the wedding party is cause for their removal from the ceremony. The intoxication of the bride or groom is cause for cancellation of the wedding by the Presider since it is expected that he/she is able to give full consent to the promises they will make to one other. If this occurs, no fees paid to the parish will be refunded.
Go to:
Preparing for your Wedding
updated 11/2/23