Congratulations on your engagement! There are few decisions more momentous, few times in your life more exciting. We celebrate with you in your joy.
If you are a member of Christ Church, the first thing to do is contact the Rector and let him know if your desire to be married at Christ Church. Fr. Tompkins can be reached at (610) 521-1626 ext. 22. You may also email him. He will set up a time to meet with you and your fiance (or fiancee) to to get acquainted and talk about the procedure for getting married at Christ Church.
We do not perform the marriage service for non-members, neither do we rent out the church for weddings. However, if you are interested in becoming a member of the parish, we would be happy to speak to you about the procedure for becoming a new member of Christ Church. You might wish to attend a service to see if this church is right for you. Speak to the Rector if you think you would like to become a member at Christ Church. If you are from another denomination, he will also tell you how to become an Episcopalian. After you have participated in our newcomer program and have joined the church, the Rector will set up a time to talk about getting married.
The Episcopal Church does permit re-marriage after divorce. The final decision whether a divorced person may be remarried belongs to the Bishop. After pre-marital counseling, the divorced person will fill out an application which, along with a letter recommending re-marriage from the Rector, will be sent to the Bishop.
One of the first things couples want to know is if the church is available on the date they desire. You are welcome to look at the church calendar to see if the church looks to be available. However, the final decision on availability will be the decision of the Rector. Normally we do not perform marriages during the season of Lent.
You may request either the Rector or the Associate to perform your marriage ceremony. With the permission of the Rector, non-Christ Church clergy may assist in the ceremony. Their role in the liturgy will be the decision of the Rector.
After the Rector has agreed to to the wedding, a date will be finalized and placed on the church calendar. You will then arrange with the clergy to attend pre-marital counseling sessions. Some of these sessions will be in a class format with other couples, some will be private sessions with the clergy. The pre-marital classes are normally on a Saturday in March. You are asked to fill out a wedding information form and bring it to the the final planning session following your pre-marital counseling.
The marriage liturgy will be conducted from the Book of Common Prayer. The marriage readings used are normally from the list of scripture readings suggested in the prayer book. Questions about photography, bulletins, flowers, the license, etc. are answered in our wedding guidelines.
As you get closer to the date of your wedding, you will need to phone or email the organist at (610) 521-1626 ext. 23. He will set up a time to meet with you and go over your music selections. You may wish additional instrumentalists and/or soloists, but you must receive permission from the Organist or the Rector. Please see the wedding guidelines.