Marriage

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Free to Marry
If one of you was previously married – whether in a Catholic or non-Catholic wedding, civil or non-civil – we can’t begin planning your wedding until it has been annulled.

Learn about annulments

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Marriage Preparation
The Archdiocese of Atlanta requires about six months of approved marriage preparation, including meeting with clergy and a Pre-Cana program.

Learn about marriage prep

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Complete our Wedding Inquiry Questionnaire, which includes your preferred dates. Email Felricia Brown, our Wedding Scheduler, at fbrown@ctking.com to receive the form.

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Once we’ve confirmed your date is available, pay your wedding fee in full to lock in your date.

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Sign and return two forms acknowledging our cancellation and our dress policies.

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Attend one Intro to Marriage class at the Cathedral.
Offered several times monthly, this class, led by one of our deacons, will provide an overview of your marriage preparation. It’s also an opportunity to ask your wedding-related questions.

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Pre-Cana
In consultation with your priest or deacon, you’ll pick from a few options: meeting with a trained sponsor couple, or one of the programs endorsed by the Archdiocese. Don’t register for a program until you’ve spoken with the clergy directing your marriage prep!

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Meetings with Clergy
You’ll meet several times with your officiating priest (if he is a priest of the Cathedral) or a deacon (if he is your celebrant, you are marrying elsewhere, or your celebrating priest is a visiting priest living outside the Atlanta area). These meetings are part spiritual preparation, part administrative.

The Cathedral
■ Seats up to 600
■ Ideal for larger weddings

D’Youville Chapel
■ Seats 30 and a limited bridal party
■ Ideal for intimate weddings
The chapel does not have an organ or piano. Couples must arrange their own music in collaboration with the celebrant.

Rite of Marriage within Mass
All sacraments, including marriage, are connected to the Paschal Mystery we see in Mass – Christ uniting Himself to His Church as a Groom to His Bride. In a Wedding Mass, the couple are the ministers of the Sacrament. The Priest assists, witnesses, and blessed the marriage.

Rite of Marriage outside of Mass
This Liturgy is shorter. It includes a Liturgy of the Word and homily, but omits Holy Communion.

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Sacred Music
Since the wedding is a worship service, we can only perform sacred music.

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Cantors
Cantors are required for Nuptial Masses, and recommended for Nuptial Ceremonies. We are glad to assist you in securing cantors, soloists and/or instrumentalists from our pool of professional staff musicians.

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Guest Musicians
We welcome guest vocalists to sing one prelude song. Because we can only perform sacred music, the text of vocal solos must be Scripture or sacred poetry.

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Rehearsal
Music is not part of the wedding rehearsal, so guest musicians will arrange rehearsal times. Frequent meetings may require an extra fee.

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Cathedral Flowers
The Cathedral places altar flowers each weekend. These flowers are included in your facility fee for use in your wedding. A bride may not remove the Cathedral’s main altar flowers.

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Supplementing Flowers
Brides may choose to supplement the Cathedral’s main altar arrangements with additional flowers. Additional flowers may be placed on the side altars, or elsewhere in the sanctuary, as space is available so long as the sanctity of the Cathedral is maintained. Any additional flowers must be approved by the Wedding and Flower Guilds and removed immediately following the ceremony.

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Providing Your Color to the Flower Guild
The Flower Guild considers liturgical colors in arranging flowers, but also strives to choose colors compatible with your wedding if possible (challenging when there are three weddings in a day!). The Flower Guild will inquire with you about colors. Respond as soon as possible!

Email the Guild at flowerguild@ctking.com

Candles

Unity candles are not permitted.

Decorating Pews

Attach pew decorations with ribbon, tulle, or other fabric. Pew clips don’t fit on our pews, which are beveled.

To protect our pews, the following items are prohibited:
■ tacks, staples, or other piercing hardware
■ tape, putty, or other adhesives
■ shedding greenery
■ candles

Wedding parties are responsible for any damage to pews and other furnishings.

Outdoors

Wreaths are permitted on entry doors, provided that tacks, staples, nails, or any material which might harm the door are not used. The Cathedral also prohibits rice, bird seed, confetti, bubbles, sparklers, confetti, or similar materials anywhere on campus.

Make sure to plan for them to be cleaned up after the ceremony!

Other decorations require the approval of the Cathedral Rector and the Wedding Guild, and we reserve the right to have unapproved decorations removed upon request.

Flower Girls
The Cathedral doesn’t permit flowers or other objects to be scattered, indoors or outdoors. We also prohibit the bridal party from carrying signs or notices. If you include a flower girl in your wedding party, we recommend giving her a floral bouquet to carry.

Ring Bearers
You’ll give your rings to the Wedding Guild before the wedding so that they can be placed on the altar to be blessed. If you do include a ring bearer in your bridal party, the rings he carries will be symbolic.

Altar Servers
We’ll assign two wedding-trained altar servers to your wedding. You are welcome to invite other altar servers to serve alongside our servers; they must be actively serving at a Catholic parish.

If you want to request specific Cathedral-trained servers or include servers from another parish, contact Elizabeth Buyarski at 404-267-3683 or ebuyarski@ctking.com at least 90 days prior to the wedding. She’ll help coordinate their inclusion.

Notes on Timing

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Flash
Flash photography is not permitted during the ceremony, but can be used for photos after the ceremony.

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Reverence
Photographers should respect the reverence of the ceremony and the sacredness of the church sanctuary. Photographers should dress appropriately for a formal wedding.

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Timing
Because of the high demand for the Cathedral, wedding parties only have 75 minutes after their ceremony start time to complete the ceremony, take photos, and clean up. This time should be used for formal photos of the wedding party and family. Have a shot list and your participants prepared!

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Reverence
The photographer should help the wedding party observe the reverence of the space. Avoid informal or candid photos in the Cathedral. Photos with participants sitting on the altar are not permitted.

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Timing
All equipment should be set up thirty minutes prior to the ceremony.

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Positioning
Cameras may be stationed:

• in the choir loft,
• in front of the pillars at the front of the church

Your Wedding Guild volunteer can help determine the best positions for your wedding. Do not lay cables across aisles. Equipment may not be pinned, stapled or otherwise affixed to Church walls. If absolutely necessary, stage or gaffer tape may be used.

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Restrictions

• Roving cameras, including drones, are not permitted. Cameras must be stationary.
• It is not possible to connect to the Cathedral sound system. Wireless microphones may be placed on the bride and groom.
• Floodlights and supplemental lighting are not permitted during the ceremony.

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Style
Great sensitivity is required in choosing your wedding dress. It should match the sanctity of the sacrament you are about to receive. Dresses for the bride and her party have to cover your chest, shoulders and lower back.

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Covers
If you arrive with a dress deemed inappropriate by these guidelines, we may require you to wear a covering provided by the church. You will want your appearance to be exactly as planned; if you are in doubt about the appropriateness of your dress, please make arrangements for this situation before arrival.

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Refreshments
Water and light snacks are allowed in the Bride’s Room only, within reason, and with the expectation that the room will be cleaned and in the condition in which it was found.

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Clean-up
The room is expected to be left in the condition in which it was found and it is the Bride and Groom’s responsibility to designate a person for cleaning the Bride’s Room. All personal items must be removed from the Bride’s Room at least 10 minutes prior to the ceremony. It is best to assign someone outside of the wedding party to take charge of personal belongings and lock them in the trunk of someone’s car. The Wedding Guild cannot accept responsibility for watching possessions during the ceremony. The parish cannot accept responsibility for the security of personal items or of items left before, during or after your ceremony anywhere on the Cathedral grounds.

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Smoking
Smoking is not permitted in any building on campus.

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Alcohol
Alcohol cannot be brought to or consumed on the Cathedral campus at the rehearsal, before the ceremony, at the ceremony, or after the ceremony.

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Sobriety
Wedding participants must arrive for and participate in the ceremony in a sober state! In the event there is a question about the sobriety of the party, the celebrant may refuse to perform the ceremony, or ask the member in question to leave the premises.

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Thrown Items
Celebratory items on campus, including confetti, bird seed, rice, or bubbles, are not permitted.