Church of the Resurrection
Office of Liturgy & Music
910 Boston Post Rd, Rye, New York 10580
Liturgy and Music Office
Preliminary Information
for your wedding
Our Parish Director of Liturgy and Music, Mr. Joseph Viserta, will work with you to plan your wedding music. He works on a contract basis and is the only authorized organist to perform at Resurrection. Musicians from outside the parish may be employed in special circumstances but only with the prior knowledge of, authorization, and in consultation with, the parish music director.
Who:
Guidelines for Music
Often requests are made for currently popular songs of questionable liturgical value. A reading of their lyrics will often reveal that they in no way refer to the sacred aspect of marriage. All music at a catholic wedding should reflect the reverence and dignity befitting the Sacred Liturgy. A song that has no relationship to the liturgy has no place in the wedding celebration. Music from secular sources, Broadway, and popular love songs would be more effectively used outside the religious celebration. All requests for music at your wedding must be discussed with and approved by the Music Director, regardless of who is performing the music at the wedding. Recorded music is not allowed. Please familiarize yourselves with the church's guidelines of wedding music early in the process.
Wedding FAQ's
Q: How many people do I need to choose to participate in the liturgy (Readings and Offertory)?
A: You need two people to do the readings (Old Testament and New Testament). You can also have one person read the Prayer of the Faithful. However, the priest can do it if you would like. It is best to choose someone who is Catholic and goes to Mass regularly because the format of this prayer can be confusing. You can choose 2 or 3 people to bring up the gifts if you are having a full Mass with communion
Q: Where can we put flowers?
A: Flowers can be put on pedestals on both sides of the high Tabernacle. They can also be placed on the floor in front of the Altar (the table in the sanctuary) and small arrangements can go on both side of the altar Flowers ARE NOT PERMITTED to be placed ON the Altar. Flowers can also be placed on the pews as long as they are fastened to the pews by rubber bands or pew hangars. NO TAPE OR ANY ADHESIVES are allowed on the pews.
Q: When can we set up for our wedding?
A: This all depends on the time of your wedding and if we have other weddings that day. The general rule is that you can set up 1 hour before your wedding. If you have a 1PM wedding you can set up at 12:00. We often have funerals at 11AM on Saturday mornings. If your wedding is at 3PM you can set up at 2PM. If there is NO wedding before you THEN you may set up at 1PM.
Q: Do we need a runner?
A: NO, you do not need a runner and in fact, they are frowned upon. They often cause more problems than they are functional.
Q: How long is the Aisle at Resurrection?
A: The aisle is exactly 100 feet long.
Q: Do we need to select Prelude Music for before the wedding?
A: No, it is not necessary to choose any prelude music and it is not necessary to list any prelude selections in your program.
Q: Can we change to the order of our ceremony to make it more personable to us as a couple? Can we add things like a poetry reading?
A: The Catholic wedding liturgy, both a ceremony and a full Mass, are rubrics. Changing the order and content of the liturgy is NOT permitted.
Q: Can we bring things like our programs, bubbles, unity candle and rings to our rehearsal and leave them there overnight?
A: Yes, you are more than welcome to leave items, such as the ones listed above, in the sacristy overnight. However, you MAY NOT leave your rings. We do not have a secure location to store them and can not be responsible for them.
Q: When do you need to have our final music selections?
A: Your final music selections need to be submitted to the Music Director 2 weeks prior to your wedding date. Please use the Liturgy Planner form to submit your final selections.
Q: How much do we have to pay to have music at our wedding?
A: The music fee's are included in the Parish wedding fee. This includes the organist/cantor. No other fee's are due unless you request additional singer's or
musicians.
Q: Do we still have to pay the music fee's if we don't use the Parish Organist?
A: Yes, the Parish Music Director is the only only authorized organist and his fees are guaranteed part of his employment contract.
Q: Can we hire additional musicians?
A: Yes, however you must speak with the music director before doing so.
Q: Are we supposed to tip anyone at the church and if so, who and how much?
A: This is entirely up to you. The Sacristan is the person who sets up for your wedding and cleans up afterward. They are not paid by the church for this. The usual and customary tip for this person is on avg. $40.00. Altar Servers usually receive $10.00 each if you request them. The music director and Priest are paid from the fee that you pay the church. If you wish to give them an additional offering for special circumstances or going above and beyond in your liturgy
preparation that is up to your discretion.
Q: Can we do a receiving line at the church after the wedding liturgy?
A: Yes, you may. As a side note: Receiving lines used to be very popular at the church. The trend seems to be subsiding. On average approx. 1 in 8 weddings chose to have a receiving line at the church.
Q: Do we have to meet with the music director or attend the music workshop?
A: Yes, each couple is required to attend the Wedding Workshop regardless of who the celebrant is or who is providing the music.
Q: We can't make any of the music workshops, can't we just meet with the music director privately?
A: The only time to meet in person with the music director is during the wedding workshop. He is the music teacher at Resurrection school so his days are spent in the classroom and most evenings he has rehearsals. His weekends are spent playing for weddings and regular parish Masses.