The Celebration and Blessing of a Christian Marriage at
St. Stephen's We want to congratulate you on your decision to spend the rest of your lives together and to seek God's blessing for your union. We welcome you to experience that blessing here at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Newton.
Here are some things you need to know about having your wedding at St. Stephen's:
To begin
the process of planning your wedding, first contact our Rector, Father
John Thorpe, at least 60 days prior to the desired date of your
service. Wedding dates may not be set without prior approval by clergy.
Pre-marital
instruction by clergy or another qualified counselor is required in the
Episcopal Church. This may be arranged privately with Fr. John.In the
tradition of the Episcopal Church, the service will follow the order
found on pages 423 through 438 of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Click
here 
to download a pdf file of the
ceremony. One
month before your wedding, please call one of our Wedding Liaisons,
Mrs. Joyce Rabedeaux at 792-2455, or Mrs. Rochelle Dungan at 792-9731,
or Mrs.
Darlene Koppin at 792-7482. If you
need an organist for your wedding, Barry Hurto may be available at
792-3469. It is best to contact him as early as possible in your
wedding planning process. St. Stephen's follows the American Guild of
Organists guidelines concerning resident organists. We ask
that you limit flowers in our Sanctuary to those which fit in our altar
vases (Mrs. Rabedeaux will explain further). Any special decorations
should be discussed with her as well. You may
also make arrangements for your own photographer. It is important that
this individual speak with clergy prior to the service to discuss when
and how pictures may be taken during the ceremony. You
should have the clergy person review any booklets or wedding programs
at least one week before the wedding. Our
basement and Sunday School classrooms may be used as dressing rooms,
with prior arrangement. However, it is the job of the family to make
sure that these rooms are returned to their original condition unless a
fee is paid for special cleaning service.Fees:
There
is no charge for the use of the church for members of St. Stephen's or
those who are genuinely exploring St. Stephen's as a spiritual home.
There is a $100 church fee for non-members. Clergy
gift is a minimum of $100, which includes pre-marital counseling. Gift
for the organist is a minimum of $75. There
is a $50 fee for the use of the Parish Hall. 
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