Engaged? Congratulations!

This is a wonderful time in your life and we at St. Edith Parish want to do our best getting you ready for your wedding day and a lifetime of love in the Sacrament of Marriage. Sacraments are the doors to the sacred; through which we are touched and graced in a special and unique way. The Sacrament of Marriage is such a door that two walk through in the presence of family, friends and their faith community.

If you grew up at St. Edith what a blessing it is to celebrate your wedding in the church where you and your family have worshipped at so often. If you are new to St. Edith, WELCOME! We’re glad you’ve decided to make St. Edith your faith community.

The following information includes basic parish information and guidelines for the wedding, marriage preparation, and answers for questions that come up. Please call the Parish Office at (734) 464-1222 to set up an initial meeting time. We look forward to sharing this special moment with you!

The St. Edith Parish Community
Fr. James McNulty, Pastor

Upcoming Sessions

Sessions held on Sundays in the Parish Office Building

Fall 2024

• September 22, 2024  --  10:00 am - 2:00 pm
• October 13, 2024  --  10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Music Preview

• January 28, 2024  -  1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Marriage Preparation Information

The following should be helpful in answering some of the questions you may have. Our goal is to have your wedding day as special as it can be, and to assist you in preparing for a lifetime of love!

To Begin

Please call the parish office at (734) 464-1222 at least six months prior to the tentative wedding date and make an appointment for you and your fiancé to meet with the Pastor.  Please do not confirm a date with a hall, caterer, band, etc., beforehand to ensure the availability of the day. We will do the best we can to honor your date request. If the wedding is to be at a place other than St. Edith, please note that Father Jim McNulty does not celebrate off-site weddings. Deacon Don may be available. Please check with him.

A marriage preparation program facilitated by parish staff and mentor couples will explore the many areas of relationships that impact on our lives as married persons and discuss Marriage, as sacrament and covenant within our Catholic faith tradition. This time together is an excellent opportunity to discover more about each other. A minimum of six month’s will be needed to complete this. This will be on both an individual basis and in a group setting.

Marriage preparation at St. Edith's includes:

• Each couple completing a pre-marriage inventory. After meeting with the Deacon, you will be contacted via email to complete an online questionnaire.  After the results have been received, a meeting will be scheduled with you to review the results. 
• Attending two one-half day seminars; a Part I and Part II. These occur on a given Sunday in January & February 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and September & October from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm facilitated by mentor couples in the parish. Lunch is included.
  Winter 2025 Marriage Preparation Workshops & Music Preview
• Using the booklet "Together for Life," Ave Maria Press, to select the readings and prayers for your ceremony.
• After meeting with the deacon, the engaged couple will be assigned a mentor couple from the parish community.
• We follow a general policy that when the religious traditions of the two families are different, the Wedding Liturgy takes place outside of the context of Mass. Normally our parish priest will witness weddings within Mass; our deacon will witness weddings outside of Mass.

Visiting Clergy

• Couples are permitted to ask priests or deacons who are family members, or with whom they are friends, to witness their marriage at St. Edith.
• Ministers of another faith are welcome to assist at weddings here when a non-Catholic is marrying a Catholic. Please let the priest or deacon know of your request early in your meeting with them.

Wedding Times at St. Edith

• Saturday weddings are scheduled at 2:00 pm.
• Friday weddings are normally scheduled at 5:30 pm.
• Weddings may take place on other days of the week except Sunday. Times for these weddings will be determined in discussion with the couple and depend on what other parish activities may be scheduled.

Marriage as Vocation

• Marriage in the Church is a vocation.  Like other sacraments, it is a sign that reveals Christ, and is a communication of his divine life and love. We live this life not only in our homes, but also within the faith community. If you are not currently registered in the parish we encourage you to do so. For it is within the faith community that your marriage experience will be shared and nourished. Because of our faith community ties, many young people desire to be married in the church they grew up in and we welcome you! Please note:
  • If you are still registered under your parents, please register now as an adult with your own household.
  • If you are living out of the area, please let the pastor of your new parish home be aware of this. As a member of another parish community your pastor’s ministry is to prepare and witness your marriage. He will give his blessing and written permission for us to witness your marriage here at St. Edith!

Questions That Come Up

• We encourage questions about the Catholic faith from non-Catholic parties. Should there be a desire on the part of the non-Catholic party to enter into communion with the Catholic Church, we welcome them and can provide an avenue to do so!
• If there is a prior marriage for one or both of the individuals, the appropriate documents will be needed before a date can be set and marriage preparation begins.
• A Catholic wedding is appropriately celebrated in a church as it is a sacramental celebration of your new commitment within the Christian community. While weddings in picturesque settings have a romantic element to them, they do not reflect a celebration of the gathered Christian community.
• Witnessing weddings celebrated at St. John’s Center in Plymouth or at other chapels are up to the discretion of each priest or deacon. The pastor of St. Edith will grant permission for them to take place there, but it will be up to the couple to make the arrangements with the Center, or other chapel.

Preparing for the Wedding Liturgy

• When the music starts, months and years of anticipation become a special moment in time. The following information will help guide you in preparing for that special moment.

Scripture Readings & Prayers

• During marriage preparation you will be given a booklet, “Together for Life,” to help you plan your ceremony. The priest/deacon witnessing your marriage will select the Gospel passage, and guide you in planning the details of the liturgy from processing into church to selecting the other scripture readings and prayers for the ceremony

The Music

• Music is planned and prepared with the Parish Minister of Music, Heather Shina. She can be contacted at (734) 464-1222, ext. 314, or email hshina@stedith.org.
• A Wedding Liturgy Music Preview, typically on a Sunday in January, will give you the opportunity to hear various music pieces and musicians. The music for the Wedding Liturgy is generally selected at this time, though CD's with music selections are available through the music director. 
• The Parish Minister of Music must approve all guest musicians.
• A standard fee of $350.00 is to be paid directly to the Minister of Music at least one month prior to the wedding. This includes both the music director and cantor. Additional fees may apply if rehearsals are required with guest musicians and soloists. The standard music fee applies even if you do not use the Parish Minister of Music.

Rehearsal

• Approximately six months before your wedding our Wedding Coordinator, will contact you to set up the date and time for your rehearsal.  Kay will set the rehearsal date with you and schedule a time to meet with you to plan the liturgy.
• All persons who will be a part of the ceremony should attend. Those reading will be given an opportunity to practice.
• The priest/deacon will not normally be at the rehearsal.

Photography & Videotaping

• Photography and Videotaping guidelines are written out and included within the Wedding Packet. These are to be signed by the photographer/videographer and returned prior to the wedding.  Please note: that the photo session after the wedding will be limited to one half hour.

Flowers

• Flowers already exist in the Sanctuary, so there is no need to order special flower arrangements for the Church.  If flowers are wanted, please discuss with our Wedding Coordinator.

Other Liturgy Details

• Please, no runner of any type is to be used, nor the scattering of flower petals on the aisle. No wagons, strollers, drones, banners/signs, or animals (with the exception of certified service animals) in the wedding procession.  We also request that you refrain from balloons, bubbles, throwing of rice, birdseed, confetti or other material after the wedding.
• If children are to be part of the ceremony, they must be at least 5 years of age in order to be able to participate adequately in the Liturgy. 
• Unity Candles, though not a traditional part of the Liturgical Rite for Marriage in the Catholic Church, are welcome. If a Unity Candle is used, it will be placed on a stand near the altar. The Unity Candle is to be provided for by the couple.
• Please no smoking, eating, or drinking in any part of the church during the rehearsal and wedding. As a wedding is such a special moment, we strongly recommend that ALL in the wedding party refrain from alcohol prior to the wedding.
• If couples or family members wish to avail themselves of the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to the wedding, we encourage you to do so. Please schedule this with the pastor, Fr. Jim McNulty.

Standard Fees

• There is no set fee for the use of the church for registered parishioners. Contributions made will go toward the cost of set-up and utilities.
• Contributions toward the rehearsal coordinator, altar servers, priest, or deacon are up to the discretion of the parishioner.
• There is a fee of $250.00 (effective May 1, 2019) with regards to the pre-marriage inventory and follow-up meeting with Dr. Binienda. We ask couples to submit a check upon their initial meeting with the deacon. 
• The standard music fee is $350.00.

Other Important Details

Baptismal Certificate

• Catholic parties are to turn in a recently issued copy of their baptismal certificate at the start of marriage preparation. Please contact the parish where you were baptized and they will send you a certified copy to turn in. You may also request to have it mailed directly to St. Edith.
• If a Baptismal Certificate is available in one form or another from non-Catholics, we ask that a copy be provided.

Marriage License

• Each couple must obtain a civil marriage license from a county clerk in Michigan. You may obtain the license from the clerk of the county in which either partner in the couple resides. Each county has different requirements so be sure to call the clerk’s office for their standards. Click here for the The Wayne County web site.
• Please drop off the license at the Parish Office no later than the Monday prior to the ceremony.

Relax & Enjoy!

• The time before a wedding can be a whirlwind of running around and “stressing out.” Relax & enjoy this period as you prepare for your marriage! Often the worries associated with a wedding are needless anxieties we place upon ourselves. Let this not only be a time for you to come together as a future husband & wife, but for your families as well.

The St. Edith Community celebrates with you.

May God’s grace & blessings be yours now & forever!