Seattle University Chapel of St. Ignatius Wedding

Part I: POLICIES AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Seattle University Specific Documents and Requirements

There are certain legal and financial commitments to complete when having a wedding

at the Chapel.

• Wedding Finance Agreement and $250 Non-refundable deposit (required to

confirm requested date, at least 6 months before)

• Proof of Liability Insurance Coverage: requires a coverage of more than 1 million

dollars. Can be procured from your own provider, or through Seattle University

Conference and Events Services (due at least 5 months before)

• Parking Fee of $100: covers the cost of parking for all guests at rehearsal and

wedding, but does not reserve the full chapel lot. If the lot is full, guests will be directed

to another campus lot (due 30 days before the wedding)

• Final payments: Remaining balance depends on fee charged per university

affiliation. (due 30 days before wedding). The fees cover the cost of the space, our

Campus Ministry staff assistance in your planning and preparation for marriage, as

well a wedding coordinator and student server for the rehearsal and wedding day.

o Other charges you will incur (not necessarily payable to Seattle University) will

be in your selected marriage preparation program, and stipends to your

musician(s) and presider.

Catholic Wedding Required Documents and Process

Wherever you marry in the Catholic Church, you have to complete certain documents

that attest to your identity and your freedom and preparation to marry. These will be

collected by the Campus Minister for Liturgy, unless there is a prior arrangement with

your presiding priest or parish.

• Freedom to Marry Canonical Form 29.1: The Campus Minister for Liturgy will

have to interview the bride and groom separately to complete this form.

• Freedom to Marry Witness Canonical Form 29.2: Witness form must be

completed be one witness for each person (bride and groom). The witness for each

must be someone who knows the bride/groom well, and for longer than they have

known each other. It can be a family member or friend.

• Baptismal Certificate/Sacramental Record:

o If baptized Catholic in the U.S.: your baptismal certificate must be issued

from the parish of your baptism within 6 months of your wedding date

o If baptized Catholic outside the U.S.: you must provide a photocopy of your

baptismal certificate, or have a witness of your baptism fill out a baptismal

affidavit

o If baptized in another tradition: you must provide a photocopy of your

baptismal certificate, or have a witness of your baptism fill out a baptismal

affidavit

o If never baptized: you do not need to provide a certificate.

• Marriage Preparation: A letter or certificate indicating that you have completed an

approved marriage preparation course. Must be completed 4 months before the

wedding date.

• Prior marriages: If either the bride or groom has had a prior marriage (civil or

religious), then you must provide documentation of formal annulment by the Marriage

Tribunal.

• Church witness: The priest or deacon serves as an official church witness to your

wedding. If the priest or deacon is from outside of the archdiocese of Seattle they will

need to complete documentation by the archdiocese that permits them to assist at your

wedding. Please have your priest or deacon be in touch with the Campus Minister for

Liturgy to discuss any faculties the priest may need, or any scripts, ritual books etc.

Chapel of St. Ignatius Policies

Specific guidelines regarding decorations and use of the Chapel space

• Chapel Capacity: Saint Ignatius Chapel seats approximately 230 people in pews

with additional standing room not to exceed the Fire Code Regulation capacity of 299.

Additional seats may not be added.

• Access to the Chapel: There are two options for wedding times – 12pm and 5pm on

Saturdays. The Chapel is available to the couple for the 12pm slot from 9:30am-

1:30pm, and for the 5pm slot from 2:30pm-6:30pm. Couples may begin their

ceremony earlier during their designated access time, but it must be at least one hour

after the Chapel access time (i.e. after 10:30am or 3:30pm). Our Chapel staff arrive

one hour before the ceremony start time. The bridal party is welcome to arrive earlier,

and designate someone to call Public Safety (x5990) to unlock the restrooms/bride’s

room.

• Environment: During each liturgical season the Chapel will have different

environmental set up. The Chapel is available to the couple “as is” for their wedding.

The Chapel staff will not move any of our decorations, plants, or environment for a

wedding. You may move plants (in consultation with the Chapel staff), but you must

return everything to the default setting after your wedding.

• Flowers: Arrangements for the altar are permitted, but our staff recommends an

arrangement in front of the ambo, or behind the altar (flanking the gold leaf). Speak to

Campus Minister for Liturgy for information and ideas for flowers. Please let us know

ahead of time if you intend to donate the flowers from your wedding to the chapel.

• Pew Decorations: Affixing flowers or candles to the chapel pews is not allowed due

to damage concerns.

• Aisle runners or items on the floor: are not permitted due to safety concerns

• Thrown flower petals (fresh or made of silk) are not permitted due to damage

concerns, and the safety of those walking.

• Candles beyond those used in the sanctuary for the altar or ambo are not allowed. In

keeping with the liturgical rites of the Catholic Church, “Unity Candles” are not used.

• Tables for programs and guest book: These may be placed in the narthex. The

Chapel staff can offer you small stands for this purpose.

• Food and Drink: Eat and drink well before your wedding. Food and drink are not

allowed in the chapel, except in the Narthex and the Bride’s Room, and you are

welcome to use the outdoor spaces near the Chapel. Please designate someone to clean

up all food waste from the Chapel after your wedding, to ensure the cleanliness of the

Chapel for others’ use. All food waste must be disposed in bins outside the Chapel.

• Alcoholic beverages before the wedding are not allowed under any circumstances,

and are not permitted on chapel grounds. Please inform your family and friends of this

policy; it is a non-negotiable.

• Photography/Videography: The chapel is available for pictures before the

wedding liturgy during the access time with photos stopping ½ hour before the

ceremony (i.e. 9:30am-11:30am or 2:30pm-4:30pm). The chapel is generally not

available for photographs following the ceremony, unless special arrangements are

made with the Campus Minister for Liturgy. Limited flash photography is permitted,

but any flash photography during the ceremony must be muted. Video cameras are

permitted but the camera must remain behind worshippers in a fixed position

throughout the ceremony, and video lighting is not permitted. Due to the technology

in the Chapel, we are not able to directly record audio from our sound system.

Photographers and Videographers should not interfere with any aspect of the

procession, liturgy, or recessional. Posing during the liturgy, waving to the couple or

distracting from the ceremony is not allowed.

•

Care of the facilities:

Please designated a trusted friend or family member to arrive

early to contact Public Safety and open the restrooms and bridal room (if arriving

before staff). At the end of the wedding liturgy designated person should also check

the restrooms and the chapel for anything left by your wedding party. Flowers, boxes,

programs, etc. should be removed following the ceremony unless prior arrangements

have been made with the Campus Minister for Liturgy. All trash, especially food items,

should be removed to bins outside the Chapel. All valuables left behind will be

immediately remitted by staff to the office of Public Safety at 206.296.5990.

•

Outdoor spaces:

You are welcome to take photos for your wedding around campus.

Please note that the use of rice, confetti, birdseed or flower petals, inside or outside, is

not allowed. Bubbles are allowed outside, being sure to respect the Reflection Pool.

Under no circumstances is anyone allowed to enter into the Reflection Pool.

The Wedding Rehearsal

• Scheduling the Rehearsal: Rehearsals are usually scheduled on Fridays at 5pm or

6pm and take approximately 45 minutes. You may schedule an alternate time with the

Campus Minister for Liturgy, including on Thursday evenings. Parking for guests for

the rehearsal is included in the parking fee.

• Rehearsal Attendance: Everyone who has a role in the wedding liturgy should be

present at the rehearsal, including any liturgical ministers, the priest or deacon,

attendants and immediate family. Please advise everyone to arrive early, in light of

Seattle traffic. A Chapel wedding coordinator and an altar server will be present to

facilitate the rehearsal walk-through and ensure that all in attendance feel comfortable

and confident about their roles.

• Marriage License: The couple should bring their marriage license to the rehearsal,

completely filled out with the couple’s information. The Campus Ministry staff will

prepare it for the wedding day. The legal paperwork will be mailed to the county by the

Campus Ministry staff. You will receive back the ceremonial copy for your records.

Please designate someone to collect this after the wedding.

The Wedding Day

• Access to the Chapel: Access to the Chapel is granted in accordance with the time

slot you have reserved for your wedding. Please refer to the policy above.

• Promptness: The bride and groom should arrive at least 20 minutes before the

wedding start time, to ensure that the liturgy begins on time. Wedding liturgies must

begin promptly at the designated start time out of respect for your guests, staff, and

any other liturgies scheduled for that day.

Part II: PLANNING YOUR LITURGY

Roman Catholic marriage ceremonies follow a set pattern as laid out in the Order of

Celebrating Matrimony ritual book. There are two basic forms of the marriage

ceremony: the Rite of Marriage (Without Mass), and a Nuptial Mass. Both contain

liturgies of the Word, but only the Nuptial Mass contains the celebration of Eucharist.

Every year the Campus Ministry Team holds a Wedding Planning Evening, which

is required for all couples. This event provides sacramental formation and liturgical

education with a ceremony walk-through accompanied by live music to share ideas

and best practices.

The Campus Minister for Liturgy will provide you with a book (United in Christ) to

help you select readings for your liturgy, and a Ceremony Template, including all

the choices for the couple to make regarding the ceremony, and the order of people in

the procession. Please complete and submit the Ceremony Template at least 30 days

before your wedding liturgy. The United in Christ book should be returned at your

rehearsal so that other couples may use it.

• Liturgical Music: Work with the Campus Minister for Liturgical Music to select

musicians and music for your wedding liturgy. Wedding music personnel should

include at least one cantor and accompanist familiar with Catholic worship. All

music in the liturgy must be played live and should be sacred music appropriate for

the liturgical setting. The Campus Minister for Liturgical Music will provide a

resource list of recommended Chapel musicians and options for music selection.

The Campus Minister for Liturgical Music must approve all music selections at least

30 days before the wedding.

• Worship Aid: We strongly encourage you to create a robust worship aid (program)

which allows everyone to participate fully as witnesses to your marriage. Consider

including spoken and sung responses. The Campus Minister for Liturgical Music can

offer you sample templates.

• Ministers of hospitality: to greet your guests and distribute worship aids.

Consider how you can help your friends and family to gather together with

hospitality and a prayerful spirit. Will you greet them as a couple at the door? Will

you ask a few friends or relatives to offer hospitality as others begin to arrive?

• Seating: While it is common in many places to designate a bride’s side and a

groom’s side, the Catholic Order of Celebrating Matrimony makes no mention of

where people should sit. Think about what seems most hospitable to you. How can

you symbolize the joining of your families? What will help your guests come

together in a spiritual bond of prayerful support?

Order of the Service:

•

Procession: Only one continuous song, played live. Must be a classical/sacred piece

of music. The order of procession is as follows:

 Altar Server (provided by Campus Ministry)

 Presider (priest or deacon)

 Wedding Party (arranged according to your preference) Some couples do not

have attendants, but choose to have important friends or family members as

part of the procession. These could include godparents, grandparents, etc.

 Groom escorted by parents, Bride escorted by parents

Couples may choose to walk down the aisle together, as ministers of the sacrament

of marriage. In a Catholic wedding, the procession is linked with all other

liturgical processions and is a joyous, celebratory way to move people from one

place to another. Processions signal beginnings, endings, or transitions from one

part of a liturgy to the next.

• Introductory Rites/Welcome/Opening Prayer (led by the priest/deacon)

• Liturgy of the Word: choose lectors (readers) who can proclaim not merely read

out loud. At least one of your readings must directly refer to marriage (indicated in

the resources provided by the Campus Minister for Liturgy).

 Hebrew Scriptures (Additional options during Easter Season) Read by:__

 Responsorial Psalm (led by your cantor)

 Epistle from New Testament (optional) Read by: __

 Sung Alleluia (led by your cantor)

 Gospel Reading (read by priest/deacon)

• Celebration of Matrimony. The couple stands before the congregation (who are

all witnesses) and declare their freedom and desire to enter into marriage. The

priest/deacon stands facing the couple in the main aisle, among the assembly.

 A declaration of consent / proclamation of vows in the standard Roman

Catholic format.

 A blessing and exchange of rings

 Optional cultural adaptation: the exchange of arras (coins)

 Song of Praise/Thanksgiving

• Universal

Prayer (Prayers of the Faithful): intercessory prayers, prepared by the

couple in advance. The Campus Minister for Liturgy will offer a sample. Can be led

by one or two readers.

• Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)

• Lazo and Veil (optional cultural adaptations)

• Nuptial Blessing: A special blessing for the bride and groom. It’s a tradition in the

Chapel to have the bride and groom move to the center aisle and be surrounded by

their friends and family in a web of blessing for this special prayer.

• Final Blessing

• Closing Hymn/Recessional: The couple would lead the way out of the church,

followed by attendants and family. The couple/witnesses/priest or deacon would

immediately sign their marriage license.

• Bell Ringing: A tradition at the Chapel is for couples to ring the bells of the Chapel

(outside, but the Reflection Pool) immediately following signing their marriage

license. Bells in the Christian tradition signal the passage of time, celebration, or

important threshold moments. All guests are invited to circle the Reflection Pool so

they can celebrate with the couple during the bell ringing.

Further requirements for the Celebration within Mass:

Both the bride and the groom, as well as a majority of those attending should be

Catholic if you choose to celebrate marriage within a mass, so as not to exclude those

gathered.

If celebrating within mass, a Gloria is sung during the introductory rites, before

opening prayer. The liturgy is the same as above up to after the Universal Prayer:

• Preparation of the Table: Gifts are brought up by 2 people,

Preparation music: ________________

• Eucharistic Prayer: Parts of the mass are sung. Mass setting: ____

• Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)

• Lazo and Veil (optional cultural adaptations)

• Nuptial Blessing

• Sign of Peace

• Communion Music:

• Eucharistic Ministers: Number needed varies depending on number of

assembly anticipated. The bride and groom, if interested, can also serve as

Ministers of Communion.

• Final Blessing

• Closing Hymn/Recessional: The couple would lead the way out of the church,

followed by attendants and family. The couple/witnesses would immediately sign

their marriage license.