St John the Baptist

Overview
The Parish of St. John the Baptist in Portland is glad to know of your interest in marrying in this church. The following information has been compiled to assist you in making your plans.

Christian marriage is a solemn and public covenant between a man and a woman in the presence of God. In the Episcopal Church it is required that one, at least, of the parties must be a baptized Christian; that the ceremony be attested by at least two witnesses; and that the marriage conform to the laws of the State and the canons of this Church.

A priest or bishop normally presides at the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage, because such ministers alone have the function of pronouncing the nuptial blessing and of celebrating the Holy Eucharist.
Weddings are conducted according to rites authorized by the General Convention and the Bishop.

Normally, St. John’s clergy preside at all weddings, although the rector may delegate that responsibility to another Episcopal priest or share it with a minister of another communion.
No date may be set for a wedding at St. John’s until the St. John’s clergy have agreed to preside or to ask another to do so.
A couple is asked to worship with the community on at least three Sundays, before making an appointment.

Weddings are appropriately celebrated from Christmas Day until the last Sunday after the Epiphany and from Easter Day until the Saturday before the first Sunday in Advent. During Advent and Lent weddings may be celebrated only for urgent cause or emergency.

Barring some extraordinary circumstances, the church building should be used for all marriages within the parish.
The Marriage Ceremony is a public service and the members of the parish family are invited to attend when the Banns of Marriage are published. Marriage is a sacramental act of the Church and normally should occur in the church building to avoid unpredictable and unforeseen events such as might take place out-of-doors that would detract from the solemn nature of the event.

Only the Rites and Ceremonies as authorized by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America will be used for wedding ceremonies at the Parish of St. John the Baptist.
The exchange of vows and rings are the outward and visible signs of the rite and the nuptial blessing signifies the union of the couple.
Unity candles are not used in this service.

The Banns of Marriage will be published at least once in the three weeks prior to the wedding ceremony. A wedding is not a private service, but is open to all who wish to attend.
The church can accommodate approximately 300 people.
It should be noted that an invitation to the ceremony is not an invitation to the reception, which is a separate event.

Canon Law of the Episcopal church requires that a couple give “the Priest 30 days’ notice before the service of solemnization.”
We at St. John’s feel 90 days’ notice should be given in order to counsel more effectively and iron out possible problems.

The Canons of the Episcopal Church require that one of the partners be a baptized person.
We at St. John’s also recommend that one of the parties should be a communicant in good standing of the Episcopal Church.

The Episcopal Church requires that the Priest instruct the couple as to the nature, meaning, and purpose of Holy Matrimony.
To that end, the couple will be expected to meet at least 6 times with the Priest, participating in the PREPARE/ENRICH Program, or its equivalent.
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Second Marriages
The Church makes certain requirements of a priest as regards second marriages and a copy of the Canon Law which deals with this subject is available to you.
It simply attempts to assure the priest as representative of the whole Church of the good faith of those persons having been through divorce or annulment seeking remarriage.

In the event that persons who have been previously married and who have children wish to be married in the church, the priest reserves the right to interview the children separately before agreeing to do the marriage.
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Music
With the Rector, the parish Music Director and/or Organist is in charge of music for all weddings.
No substitute musicians will be allowed without the agreement of the Organist and the subsequent consent of the Rector.
If another organist is asked to play at the wedding, his or her fee is to be paid separately, over and above the basic contribution to the Church.
The basic contribution includes the services of the organist to the extent of a consultation with the bride and groom and the marriage service itself.
An additional charge of $30 is applied for each supplementary rehearsal with a soloist or other musicians, whose honoraria are also the responsibility of the bride and groom.
Music need not be traditional, but must be suitable to the liturgical worship of God, and all choices must be approved by the Organist and Rector.
Please note that since there is only one procession of the entire wedding party at St. John’s, the Lohengrin Wedding March (“Here Comes the Bride”) is never used.
Organist is Mr. Fred Beal, 503-307-7141
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Wedding Facilitator
St. John’s provides its own facilitator to see that the bride has things she will need, (ironing board, iron, pins, etc.).
The Facilitator helps with the rehearsal and gives a considerable amount of time helping with the wedding.
There is no need for any other outside Wedding Consultant to be present at the rehearsal or wedding ceremony.
Our Wedding Facilitator is Margi Brown, 503-245-1308
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Photography
No flash pictures may be taken while guests are in the church. After the guests have left, or before they are admitted, the wedding party may pose for flash pictures or formal portraits before the altar. During the service, available light photographs and videotapes may be taken from a position behind the last pew only. It is the responsibility of the wedding party to be sure that photographers respect this policy which is intended to prevent disruption of the service by overzealous commercial photographers and excited guests.
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Flowers
Flowers may be placed only behind the altar.
Pew ends may be decorated, but decorations must be kept level with the pew ends – no tacks, only tied or taped.
The Parish Flower Guild is to arrange the flowers.
Any flowers provided by a wedding party on a Saturday remain in the Church for services on Sunday in thanksgiving for the marriage.
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License
Application for a marriage license can be made in any city or town in Oregon.
The bride and groom must go in person to apply for the license.
Adequate time should be allowed before the wedding date to comply with civil regulations.
The license is to be brought to the rehearsal.
No wedding can proceed without the license.
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Fees
The Church is here for your use because many people give of their substance to see that it is here.
If you are a pledging member of St. John’s, you will only be expected to cover the cost of the organist and flowers, plus the contribution to the Officiating Clergy’s discretionary fund.
Otherwise, it is expected that you show your appreciation to those who do give, in assisting them in the up-keep of the church by giving a check over and above the minimum cost.
The basic contribution to the Church is $500, which includes Use of the Church ($375) and the Organist ($125).
$300 is due at the time the date is placed on the calendar.
The balance should be paid to the wedding coordinator at the time of the rehearsal, payable to the Parish of St. John the Baptist.
A separate contribution of $300 is paid to the Officiating Clergy’s Discretionary Fund, usually handed to him by the best man after the ceremony.
Each couple is required to pay a $30.00 processing fee for the PREPARE Program, made payable to PREPARE/ENRICH.

For the purpose of this policy a member is someone who has a stated pledge to St. John the Baptist of $500 or more in the year the initial request is made, or has, or whose family has, made and paid a pledge in any amount in the year previous to the initial request.

Fees At A Glance

Use of the church (non-pledging members)	$375
Organist	$125
Flowers	$100
Honorarium for Clergy Discretionary Fund	$300
PREPARE/ENRICH Processing	$30
Total	$930

After having read these guidelines, if you wish to pursue Christian Marriage in this parish, please call the church for an initial meeting with our clergy.

God Bless your future life together.

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Revised October 2008