WEDDINGS

"Therefore, what God has joined together, ... let no man separate."  --Mark 10:6-9

“Flesh is not weak. It is strong. Only the sacrament of marriage can contain it.” --Priest in Boris Pasternak's book DR. ZHIVAGO

CELEBRATING A WEDDING AT ST. THERESE CHURCH: The Archdiocese of Los Angeles requires couples desiring to be married in the Church to meet with a priest or deacon to begin their wedding preparation at least six months prior to the desired wedding date.  

You should be living within our Parish boundaries OR be registered as parishioners at least six months OR have a history with our parish (e.g., former school student) BEFORE BEGINNING your wedding preparation at St. Therese Church.  

  • WEDDING APPLICATION: To begin your wedding preparation, the FIRST thing to do is to fill out the Application to Celebrate a Wedding at St. Therese Church (click here (X) to access from this website or come to the Parish Offices to fill one out).  If you obtain it from the website, you may save it in your computer and then upload it and submit it via email to the Parish Secretary at denisekay@hotmail.com. She will give it to Deacon Otto Lacayo (DeaconOttoLacayo.StTherese@gmail.com), and he will contact you to begin preparation... OR you may drop it off or mail it to the offices (510 North El Molino Street, Alhambra CA 91801). Deacon Otto will then contact you to set up an initial appointment. 

  • APPLYING FOR THE MARRIAGE LICENSE: Each couple getting married must obtain a County license issued from a county courthouse.  You need to apply for it in person together (both parties must be present). For more info, click HERE X.  You may begin the process by filling out the application  HERE, but, again, are required to appear together to obtain the official license to marry. You may apply for a license up to 90 days before the date of your wedding (note that after 90 days the license will expire and you will need to pay for a new one if you haven't been married by then). You must submit the license to the church office at least a few days before your wedding date.  The Parish office will prepare the certificate to be signed by the witnesses and the celebrant and will then mail it to the Court the first working day after the wedding.  

     

  • INITIAL PAPERWORK:  

    • Checklist:  To review the checklist of what is required of the couple, please download it by clicking here (X) for a Wedding in English or Spanish  OR by clicking here (X)  for a Wedding in the Latin Rite.  (You may also pick up a printed list from the offices.)

    • Copies of Sacramental Certificates:  The Catholic party(ies) will be asked to obtain a recent certificate of Baptism (NOT the original but a copy dated within the last six months) for the purpose of proving freedom to marry in the Church.  It should have a notation on the back showing that you received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  If not, you will need to obtain a copy from the church where you received Confirmation. 

    • Freedom to Marry Form:  Each party will also need two persons from his or her family (preferably parents; if parents are not living, choose someone else who has known you all your life) to fill out a "Freedom to Marry" form, attesting to the fact that the party seeking marriage has, to his or her family's knowledge, never been married and is choosing to freely and forever enter into the marriage. To download the FREEDOM TO MARRY form, click here (X). 

 

  • MARRIAGE PREPARATION CLASSES:  As mandated by the Archdiocese, each couple needs to attend a marriage preparation class (should be completed at least three months before the wedding).  They can choose from:

    • A one-day seminar (click X for the 2024 schedule--there is a page for each month. Each of those pages will show the churches offering the classes for that month. We are part of the San Gabriel Region, so the closest churches to us will be in that section). To register, call the number for the church with the date/location you prefer. More instructions are on the website mentioned just above.  

    • A full weekend through the Engaged Encounter Program offered by the Archdiocese.  More information about the Engaged Encounter Weekend can be found by clicking here X.  If you would like to attend but cannot afford the $550 fee, please ask the office for a request to pay a lower fee.

  • MUSIC FOR YOUR WEDDING MASS: Please note that all music must be liturgical (no "pop" music of any kind). St. Therese Church policy is that we do not *allow outside musicians but only our own musicians to serve as organist/pianist and cantor (the cantor leads the assembly in the singing.) (*except under extraordinary circumstances). Also note that we do NOT allow recorded music at wedding Masses.  The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) states in Nos. 39-40: "The Christian faithful who gather together as one to await the Lord's coming are instructed by the Apostle Paul to sing together Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Coloss. 3:16). Great importance should therefore be attached to the use of singing in the celebration of the Mass.”  The reason for this is that the use of music in the liturgy is always to enhance the quality of liturgical prayer and can never be considered as entertainment. It is practically impossible for recorded music to serve the same function."  

  • NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING:  St. Therese Church also requires each couple to attend Natural Family Planning Classes offered at our church, followed by individual training sessions.  The couple should attend the classes at least three months before the wedding.   

  • WEDDING TIMES:  The normal wedding times you can choose from are Saturdays at 10:00 a.m., Noon, or 2:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. is the latest time available on Saturdays). You may, however, request a different day or time, depending upon our regular schedule of Masses.    

  • READINGS FOR THE WEDDING MASS:  Couples are encouraged to choose the readings for the wedding Mass in order to make it more personal.  A copy of the booklet, TOGETHER FOR LIFE, may be picked up from the St. Therese Church offices (it contains a form in the back to enter your selections).  OR you may choose your readings by accessing a website (click here X to open it) which has links you click on to take you to the readings at www.foryourmarriage.org, a website which is an initiative of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Click here X for a form on which to enter your selections for the readings and the readers.

    • At the bottom of the home page of www.catholicweddinghelp.com you will also find a section titled FOR MORE INFORMATION, which includes a helpful link about choosing your lectors (those who will read the Scripture readings).  

  • CREATING THE PROGRAM FOR YOUR WEDDING MASS:   For help in creating a program for your wedding, click here X.  The program is a great way to increase participation by the congregation.  If you would like St. Therese to prepare your program, there is a fee of $75 for a full 8.5 sheet folded in half (4-page program) OR  $150 for two full 8.5 sheets folded in half (8-page program), which includes printing copies of up to 50 (for the 4 page) or 100 (for the 8 page) (extra charge of .20 each for additional copies). For this option, contact Denise at denisekay@hotmail.com.

  • VIDEO AND/OR LIVESTREAM YOUR WEDDING MASS:  We offer the option to have the wedding ceremony live-streamed on YouTube and/or recorded offline for your loved ones who are unable to attend. Fees begin at $550. For details, please contact littletheresemedia@gmail.com.  

  • WEDDING FEES:

ENGLISH OR SPANISH MASS CHURCH FEES: Submit the wedding fee ($1100) to the office at the time the wedding date is scheduled with the priest. This amount includes the fees for the use of the church ($500), the church organist ($250), the church cantor ($200), and the celebrating priest ($150). 

MARRIAGE PREPARATION FEE IF WEDDING IS IN ANOTHER CHURCH:  If you plan to be married in another diocese (different state or country) but you are asking St. Therese to do your marriage preparation (prenuptial questionnaire, etc.), there is a flat fee for this of $200.  This fee will be not be charged to any couple being married in our church.

OTHER FEES: There are also fees (totaling $550) that go to 1) Angie Sandoval, the wedding liturgy planner ($200); and 2) Either Katrina Crow or Martha Lacayo, the NFP Coordinators ($250). Please submit a check to each of those persons directly. 

ALTAR SERVER FEES FOR NON-LATIN MASS WEDDING: Please arrange to have someone in your family or your wedding party give $20 each to the two altar servers (cash) ($40 total)--either before or immediately after the wedding. 

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LATIN RITE MASS CHURCH FEES:  Submit the wedding fee ($950) to the office at the time the wedding date is scheduled. This amount includes the fees for the use of the church ($500), the church organist ($250), the cantor ($200).

OTHER FEES: There are also fees (totaling $700) that go to 1) Angie Sandoval, the wedding liturgy planner ($200); 2) Katrina Crow or Martha Lacayo, the NFP Coordinators ($250); 3) John Janosik ($100),  the sacristan who will purchase the necessary Latin Mass supplies; and 4) the Norbertine priest who will celebrate the wedding ($300). Please submit a check to each of those persons directly

LATIN MASS ALTAR SERVER FEES: This amount does not include the honorarium of $50 each for two Latin Mass altar servers ($100 total). Please arrange to have someone give this amount to each of the altar servers (in cash--either before or immediately after the wedding).

Please note that flowers are not provided and are not included in the fees.    

CONTACTS:

Wedding Scheduler: After submitting your application, you will be contacted by Deacon Otto Lacayo (DeaconOttoLacayo.StTherese@gmail.com or (626) 372-0809). 

Wedding LITURGY Planner:  After you have met with the priest and he has approved you to be married, then it is time to contact our Wedding Liturgy Planner, Angie Sandoval, at (626) 616-9416 or angie.sandoval06@gmail.com. She will meet with you to discuss all the details of your ceremony and will be there to facilitate your wedding rehearsal.  She will also be present at your wedding to make sure everything is on schedule.  

Latin Mass Sacristan: If your wedding will be celebrated in the Latin Rite, please contact John Janosik at (626) 795-5151 or jjanosik@gjpattorneys.com before scheduling your wedding.  His availability is mandatory as he will serve at the wedding as the Sacristan.

Music: Please contact our Music Director/Organist, Charlotte Lansberg, at credochoir1@gmail.com, to coordinate the music and select the cantor (no recorded music allowed). No outside musicians/cantors allowed.

Natural Family Planning:  To arrange the initial meeting and set up the classes, please contact either Katrina Crow at (626) 292-1906 or *Martha Lacayo at (626) 372-0809 (*Spanish or English).

Video and/or Live Stream:  We offer the option to have the wedding ceremony live-streamed on YouTube and/or recorded offline for your loved ones who are unable to attend. Fees begin at $550. For details, please contact littletheresemedia@gmail.com. 

Program: (see details above): Please contact the secretary, Denise McMaster-Holguin, at (626) 282-2744, ext. 1 + 233. 

Reception:  If you would like to host a reception following the celebration, you may have it in our Parish Hall (IF it's on a weekend or at a time when there is no school and if it's available) OR the outdoor  Guadalupe Courtyard—using either space depends upon availability.  You can have your own caterer OR you can contact the CATERER we use at St. Therese Church. Her name and phone number: Maureen Craig - (626) 840-7288. The usage fees are directly below: 

RECEPTION FEES: The use of the PARISH HALL for a reception is subject to availability, but, again,  it cannot be used when our School is in session. There is a fee of $500 for the use of the PARISH HALL PLUS a DEPOSIT OF $500 for any damage/excessive messiness (it will be returned to you if the space is the same as when you got there). You are responsible for setting up the tables and chairs and putting them away after the event; however, arrangements can be made with someone to do it for a fee.  

There is a fee of $300 for the use of the GUADALUPE COURTYARD--PLUS a DEPOSIT OF $300 for any damage/excessive messiness (it will be returned to you if the space is the same as when you got there). You must set up any additional tables and chairs AND take them back down).