"And the two become one body." Genesis 2:24
Christ loves his Church, and married people reflect that love in the world. With our contemporary stained glass windows and wide open sanctuary space mixed with a time-honored design, St. Hilary weddings blend old-fashioned tradition with modern elegance. Our Wedding Coordinator will walk you through every detail, and our priests will prepare you spiritually for a loving and fruitful partnership for life.
We want to prepare you not just for a happy wedding day but for a happy and lasting marriage. Engaged couples should contact us at least six months prior to the anticipated wedding date to ensure adequate time for marriage preparation.
Questions
Frequently asked
If at least one of you is Catholic, you are free to marry, and you want to be married in God's house, you may celebrate your wedding here.
The first step is to complete the online Wedding Inquiry Form. Once you have submitted the form, we'll schedule an appointment with our priest. After that initial appointment, we'll get you set up on the parish calendar.
We celebrate weddings on Saturdays at 2pm (except the third Saturday of the month).
There is no charge for weddings. But, let's be honest. It would be pretty bad form not to make a generous donation to the church for all the hard work staff members do to help you with your special day. So, we ask you to consider making the following donations:1. $1,000 for the use of the church ($250 for marriage preparation, if you are getting married somewhere else).2. $20 in cash for each altar server.Some couples also make a donation to the priest personally. While we do not request any particular amount, it is customary in this area to offer the priest a cash gift of between $200 and $300. Click here for an informative article that could address some of your questions.The easiest way to make these donations is by giving online. In addition, the musicians you choose will charge a fee and will discuss that with you separately.
Yes! We are happy to welcome all clergy who are in good standing with the Catholic Church. If the priest or deacon is from outside the Archdiocese of San Francisco, he will need to get a letter of Good Standing from his diocese.
Marriage is a sacrament. Like any sacrament, you'll need some time to prepare. In the case of marriage, it takes about six months. We'll meet with you 5 or 6 times. There's some paperwork to fill out, a pre-marital inventory to take that will help you discuss the strengths and areas for growth in your relationship, and a program of marriage preparation to complete. And, of course, we'll need time to plan the ceremony.
We'll meet with you to plan the details of your ceremony. You will be able to choose from a selection of suggested readings and prayers. If a visiting priest will be presiding at your wedding, he is responsible for working with you to plan the ceremony and will need to be present at the rehearsal (and, of course, the ceremony).
Anything goes! No, just kidding. Actually, only music approved for church use may be chosen. The musician you hire for the wedding will be happy to walk you through the possibilities.
Unfortunately, we do not offer our parish hall for receptions at this time. There are many good options in Tiburon and southern Marin County. We can help you think through that if you want.
If you're having a large wedding with bridesmaids and groomsmen, we recommend scheduling a rehearsal. You will also need to hire a "day of" wedding coordinator to organize the procession into and out of the church, and you'll need to have the coordinator present at the rehearsal.
Well, since we're a busy church with Masses before and after your wedding, we need to insist on a few rules about decorations. Here they are:1. Two floral arrangements are permitted on either side of the altar. Flowers may be delivered anytime after 10:30am on the day of your wedding, except between Noon and 12:45pm (or between 11am and 11:45am if your wedding is on a weekday).2. Decorations may be placed on the pews only if fastened with ribbon or special hangars available from most florists. The use of tape or tacks for this purpose is not allowed.3. All decorations for the wedding must be removed immediately after the ceremony.4. No church fixtures, decorations, or seasonal displays may be moved, removed, or covered.5. During special seasons (e.g., Advent, Christmas and Easter), your wedding decorations should reflect the color scheme and spirit of the season. Thanks for understanding!
Yes, photographs and videos provide a beautiful remembrance of your wedding. However, they must not distract from the solemnity of the wedding ceremony. To help with that, here are few rules about that:1. Flash photography and video camera lights are not permitted. Only ambient and existing lighting may be used.2. Photographers and video camera operators must not be in locations that would distract the wedding party or guests.3. Still photographs maybe taken after the ceremony, but they must be completed in time for the bridal party and all guests to leave the church no later than 90 minutes after your wedding begins (e.g., by 3:30pm if you wedding started at 2pm).
Wow, we'd love to allow that, but can you imagine the bride and the groom on their knees after the wedding trying to pick up every seed, petal, or grain of rice? Also, someone could slip on them. It just doesn't work, so please do not throw any of these items inside or outside the church. Sorry about that.
Uh, no. Bad idea anyway because you'll probably end up passing out from the heat in the church. Also, it's pretty disrespectful to the ceremony and the bride and the groom, so please wait on imbibing until after the ceremony when you're in a safe place and you have a designated driver.