We do not require that you be members of the congregation to be married here, but we invite you to join us for worship services on Sundays at 10:30AM. Attending services may help you to be more comfortable in the sanctuary and with our minister. We invite you to come and experience our worship, fellowship and community events. As a couple, finding a church home is one way to build up your relationship and create support systems that will be life-giving to both of you.

YES! Our wedding services are available to all couples who wish to proclaim their love through marriage, regardless of sexual orientation or gender.

While pre-marital counselling is strongly recommended, it is not a requirement. We know that you will be spending a great deal of time over the coming year, planning your wedding. We would urge you to spend some time over that same period, planning for a lifetime of marriage together. St. Andrew’s Guelph does not offer any courses or counselling itself. Instead, we have found others who have the experience and expertise in offering these services. Use your network to find a course that is excellent and excites you. Over the years, we have directed couples to one particular group called Marriage Prep for these services. They have always been appreciated by the couples we have referred. Check them out here: www.marriageprep.com.

The Christian wedding ceremony takes place in the context of worship. Inherent within it, is the celebration of the commitment of love before God, family and friends. It is a time of thanksgiving and joy. Your service will be carefully planned with you to reflect your thoughts and wishes. The minister will work with you in choosing and arranging the vows, the Scriptures and other readings, and all the other details of your service.

Typically, the minister of St. Andrew’s conducts all weddings, but we understand that there are circumstances where you would prefer to have your own minister/officiant. If you choose to provide your own minister/officiant, please provide our office with the following details at the time of booking your wedding: Name of minister/officiant; Church they currently serve; Denomination/Affiliation; Contact information; and their marriage number as issued by the Province of Ontario (your minister/officiant should have no concerns in providing these details to you).

Our accomplished music director is available to play for weddings. An interview should be arranged well in advance to enable you to listen to and choose the music you wish for your wedding.

Certainly, you may use your own musicians. As a courtesy to our music director, and perhaps as a help to your musicians, we would request that they be in contact with our music director in order to familiarize themselves with our instruments and sanctuary. If you would like a soloist or additional musician as well as our music director, please advise our music director of this as soon as possible. Special arrangements may need to be made for rehearsals. Remuneration for guest musicians will remain your responsibility.

A marriage license must be obtained from the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, Carden Street in Guelph (but can be obtained from any city hall in the Province of Ontario). Birth certificates for both parties, as well as any citizenship or divorce papers, must be presented to the Clerk at the time of application. Be sure to take along current photo identification. Both parties are not required to be present to apply for the license at City Hall, but both parties must sign the application form, and each must be at least eighteen years of age. Licenses are valid for 90 days from the date of issue. It is advised that you familiarize yourself with the requirements of the Province at their city’s website: http://guelph.ca/living/life-events/marriage-licences/

The license, along with the fees, should be brought into the Church Office at least four weeks before the date of your wedding ceremony. Your wedding (or rehearsal) cannot take place if the license and/or fees have not been received.

A rehearsal is recommended. Rehearsals usually take no longer than 45 minutes. The music director doesn’t typically attend the rehearsal. At the rehearsal, the minister will walk you and your wedding party through the wedding ceremony. We have found that the rehearsal is a time to reduce one’s wedding stress by becoming comfortable with the little details of where to stand and what will be said. Our Caretaker will be present at the rehearsal as well and will seek to provide any assistance you may require.

The date and time for the rehearsal may be set at the time of booking but should be confirmed with the minister when you meet with them.

As with your wedding ceremony, it is very important that everyone is on time for the rehearsal so that it may start on time.

You will be assured that everything will be done to make your wedding ceremony as attractive and enjoyable as possible for you and your guests. Our Caretaker will be of assistance in setting up flowers, decorations, and will be present on the day of your rehearsal and wedding to provide whatever assistance you and your guests may require.

Our Caretaker’s fee is intended to cover four hours of work (inclusive of the Rehearsal). If the Caretaker is required to work longer than four hours, you will receive an invoice after the wedding for any overages at a rate of $25 per hour.

There will be four parking places reserved along Suffolk Street for your wedding. There is a small parking area at the rear of the church, which is accessible from Yarmouth Street. There is street parking available on the various side streets near the church. Please advise your guests of this.

You are welcome to place flowers in the sanctuary. Flowers may be delivered to the church in advance of the wedding. Please arrange a mutually agreeable time for delivery with the Church Office prior to your wedding day or failing that, arrange a delivery time with the Caretaker at the rehearsal.

If you desire to use a Unity Candle as a part of your ceremony, you are most welcome to do so in consultation with the minister. It is your responsibility to provide what is needed for this and it may be placed on the Table at the front of the sanctuary.

Confetti, rice, bird seed, and/or flower petals are not to be thrown in the church building or on the church grounds. Bubbles may be used outside but are not permitted in the sanctuary. Please advise your guests of this policy.

The wedding ceremony is framed in a worship service and, as with other worship services, there are some restrictions on photography. They will not prevent your photographer from obtaining excellent pictures of your wedding, but these restrictions will ensure that the mood of the ceremony, and your own pleasure and concentration on each other is not compromised.

Therefore, flash photography is not permitted during the worship service, although it is acceptable during the processional and recessional of the wedding party, and during the signing of the marriage register and licence. Please advise your photographer to check in with the minister before the service commences.

If you wish to have the service professionally videotaped, your videographer should attend the rehearsal to discuss details with the minister.

You are respectfully requested to make this information known to your photographer and to your friends in advance of your wedding.

The ability to have the church clean and set up for worship and other activities on Sunday morning is the primary factor in determining whether a reception can be held in our church hall. Therefore, we typically do not make our church hall available for receptions of any kind.

Because we care about you and your health, St. Andrew’s Guelph is a smoke-free facility. In addition, no alcohol is allowed on church premises in connection with weddings. All members of your wedding party are expected to comply with this policy. Please ask them to do so.

$1,225 (cash is accepted or cheques made payable to “St. Andrew’s Church”)

This amount is inclusive of the use of our sanctuary, our minister, our music director, and our Caretaker.

(*As noted previously, if the Caretaker’s time exceeds four hours, you are responsible for the overages at $25 per hour. A separate invoice will be sent to you following your wedding ceremony.)

The date and time for your wedding ceremony is not reserved until a non-refundable deposit of $200 has been received.

At least four weeks prior to your ceremony, the remainder of the fee along with your marriage license are required to be delivered to the Church Office.

Additional Fees

Fee for Tech Director (Livestream/Recording/Music): $150.00

Rehearsal fee for music director with other musicians: $50.00