Marriage

Marriage at St. Mary's Parish, Williamstown

We welcome your enquiry about celebrating your marriage in the Parish Church of

St. Mary's, Williamstown.

The Parish Priest of St. Mary's, (Fr.) Greg Trythall, is willing to celebrate the marriage of any couple where either the Catholic bride or Catholic groom is a parishioner, that is, a resident in the parish.

Where neither bride nor groom is a parishioner, the couple can speak to (Fr.) Greg Trythall about performing the marriage or you may engage another priest who will prepare you for marriage, complete the documentation and celebrate the marriage on the day.

Date and Time of Marriage

You are welcome to contact the Presbytery office and make a tentative booking for your wedding date, however, the booking will only be secured once the “Request for Marriage at

St. Mary’s Williamstown” form has been returned and the deposit of $400 ($500 for weddings booked from 1st January, 2023) has been received.

Documentation

You are required to provide the following documents to the priest who is performing your wedding ceremony only when you have your first appointment with same priest:

Baptism Certificate: These can be obtained from the church where you were baptised or when your parents have your baptism certificate tucked away.

Birth certificate: If you cannot produce an active passport, then by Commonwealth Law you will have to produce a birth certificate plus further identification for example: drivers licence..

If either party has been married before: If either party has been married before - ANYWHERE - the Catholic Marriage Tribunal (phone - 9639 4211) alone can declare them free to marry in the Catholic Church. Please speak with (Fr.) Greg in relation to this.

Further Information

Flowers

The colour scheme of the flowers in the church is white and cream (neutral). It is normal for there to be more than one wedding each weekend and as such, it is not possible to provide colours which suit every individual wedding party.

Music

There is a pipe organ and an electric organ in the church, both of which are fantastic for a wedding.

There is also the option of bringing your own CD or iPod with your choice of music.

The following are good musicians who are available to play at weddings:

Angela Pezzano Organist/Vocalist 0414 532 201
Just Friends RnB/Neo Soul/Pop 0423 630 794
Rosanna Camenzuli Organist/Vocalist 9390 8618 / 0425 751 230

You are more than welcome to have any other musicians of your choice.

It is the responsibility of the couple to contact and provide payment to their musician directly.

Photography

Photographs and video are permitted in the church during the ceremony. However, soon after the start of the ceremony, during the bible readings followed by the sermon, there are to be no photos taken. After the sermon it is fine to continue with the photography. Video may be taken continuously provided the videographer is seated during the bible reading and the sermon.

Confetti

There is to be no confetti, rice or flower petals thrown inside or outside the church. (You will find this is normal at all churches these days).

Please advise your guests accordingly. Bubbles are acceptable.

Wedding Rehearsal

A wedding rehearsal is normally arranged a few days prior to the wedding. The bride and groom need to firstly arrange this with the presiding priest of the ceremony and then with either

Kylie Skinner or Heidi Zahra of the St. Mary’s Presbytery office on 9397 6066.

Cancellation

Should you wish to cancel your booking, you will need to do so in writing via email (williamstown@cam.org.au). Cancellations will not be taken via telephone.

Any money you have paid will be refunded, apart from an administration cost of $50.00.

Should you have any further queries in relation to having your wedding ceremony at St. Mary’s Williamstown, please contact either Kylie Skinner or Heidi Zahra at the Presbytery office on

9397 6066.

1 Corinthians 13:13 - 'And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love'

Marriage at St. Mary's Parish, Williamstown

Further Information

Marriage Files