Weddings at Trinity Claremont

Marriage in the Episcopal Church – Marriage is a sacrament in
which two individuals publicly declare their love for one
another. The church believes that the love of the couple is a
reflection of God’s love. The sacrament of marriage therefore
gives us a glimpse of the depth of God’s love for us all.

The Service –

A wedding service is understood as a worship service; at least one of the couple is expected to be a baptized Christian. Trinity’s worship space is not available independently as a venue to be rented for a ceremony that does not include the parish clergy, and/or does not follow the pattern of the Episcopal service.

Marriages at Trinity normally follow the liturgical pattern provided in The Book of Common Prayer (see page 423) or the other approved liturgies for marriages, found at this link.

Part of the process of pre-marital preparation involves analyzing
the marriage service and tailoring it to meet the specific needs
and identities of each couple. Trinity’s priest will
be the presiding celebrant at the wedding. If the bridal couple
wish to have other clergy included in the service arrangements,
this is at the discretion of the priest.

Preparation – The Episcopal Church requires that couples
planning to enter the sacrament of marriage are properly
prepared. At Trinity, pre-marital preparation usually takes
the form of several meetings with one of the clergy. These
meetings are tailored to the needs of each couple. Couples may
also be encouraged to undergo additional pre-marital counseling
using the services of a professional counselor

Remarriage – If either party has been previously married and
divorced permission from the Bishop is required for a
remarriage to occur. Normally this takes at least six months. This
ensures that there is time to talk about any previous experiences
of marriage and explore what this means for their relationship.

Planning the wedding – Couples wishing to be married at Trinity need to give several months notice in order for pre- marital preparation to take place. Please contact the clergy to discuss the timing of your wedding before you make plans regarding the reception. It is important that the couple themselves, rather than a relative or friend, work with the priest
on the details of planning the wedding service.

Music – Music at weddings involves careful thought and
preparation. The musicians and the clergy at Trinity will be
happy to meet with you and plan your choices. If there is a
soloist or instrumental music that requires accompaniment it is
essential that parish musicians are informed and suitable arrangements
made early on. Usually weddings include hymns to be sung by
the whole congregation.

Fees -Since wedding services supplement the regular schedule of
worship services conducted by the church, they impose extra
duties on church staff and burden church resources. Marriage
fees are payable no later than one month in advance of the
wedding. Members of the parish may be exempt from some of these fees.
For purposes of this policy, a bride or groom is a “member” of
the parish if she or he is a communicant in good standing who
regularly worships at Trinity and gives of his or her time and
talents to support the parish. Please contact the clergy for the current schedule of fees.

Trinity Church thanks St Thomas, Hanover for some of the language shared here.