Music Guidelines

This page will provide you with information about the musicians at St. Mary's and the different musical options available as you plan your wedding, as well as the Liturgical information for your celebration.

Music
Our  Director of Music Ministry, Dorothy Limey, will serve to help you plan the music for your wedding. She is entrusted with the task of judging the suitability of musical selections within the context of the Catholic wedding liturgy and must approve all music and musicians chosen for the ceremony. 

Please contact Dorothy at [email protected] at least two months prior to your ceremony to review your music. The Wedding Music Selection Form can be found Here.  Please review and submit the form to choose the music for your wedding. 

At St. Mary's we maintain a staff of professional musicians who are available for your wedding. They are versed in the standard musical repertoire for Saint Mary's weddings and are familiar with the liturgical practices of the parish. Cantors and accompanists can be heard at weekly masses. The fee for a cantor and accompanist is included in your church wedding fee and you may hire more than one cantor at an additional cost ($150.00). 

Please Note: If you are considering hiring your own singer (or having a friend or family member perform), the  Music Director must approve all guest performers in advance. Generally, guest performers will be limited to one song during the prelude, with the remainder of the ceremony sung by one of our cantors.

Instrumentalists:
We love having musicians (guitar, trumpet, etc.) join us for weddings, they add a very special and personal feel to the ceremony. If you'd like to hire an instrumentalist the Director of Music Ministry will secure their services. In general, you should budget about $200-250 per player (trumpet, violin, or flute) hired through St. Mary's. Harpists generally receive a slightly higher fee to cover the cartage of their instrument. A string quartet, trio, or other ensembles are contracted independently of St Mary's and each ensemble sets its fee independently. For more information, please see contact us.

House Band:   
For a truly joyful musical experience, you may wish to have the Sunday morning house band present for your wedding. Please contact us for additional information, and cost.

Music fees for the accompanist and one cantor are included in your Wedding Fees.  Any additional musicians fees are paid two weeks prior to the Wedding date.  Payments for musicians that are not St. Mary's staff will be paid directly by the Bride and Groom. Checks can be mailed to St. Mary's c/o Wedding Fees ( your name and date)31 Pompton Ave. Pompton Lakes NJ 07442

Who will celebrate your wedding at St. Mary’s?
That is up to you. You should decide which of the parish priests or deacons you would like to be a part of the preparations for and the celebration of your marriage. If you have no preference, a priest or deacon will be assigned.

If you would like a priest from another parish or diocese to witness your marriage, that is fine, but please let us know. Someone from St. Mary’s will be assigned to you to take care of the paperwork and help you prepare for your wedding, so the visiting priest will not have to worry about this.

Private Meetings
There are usually at least two to three meetings with the priest or deacon who will be the celebrant at your marriage. During these meetings, a relationship is established which helps to ensure that the wedding is very personal and special. All the details for your wedding will be worked out during these meetings.

Ecumenical weddings are common at St. Mary’s. Non-Catholic ministers are welcome to participate in the celebration. Generally, the details of such celebrations are worked out with the couple by the priest/deacon and the minister/rabbi during the preparation meetings. It is permissible for a Catholic to be married in the church of his or her non-Catholic partner. If this is the case and your desire, please let the priest/deacon know right away so he can do all the necessary paperwork for you.

The Liturgical Guidelines
The Liturgical Guidelines for your wedding can be found Here.    Please review and submit the form to choose the Readings and details of your ceremony.  Please contact the Friar who will be presiding or  Lynda Rogalski [email protected] the wedding coordinator with any questions.