St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church

Weddings at Saint Augustine's Church

So you’d like to be married at St. Augustine ’s? Wonderful!

Here are some things you need to know.

*First, please don’t set the date or finalize your wedding plans until you have met with the Rector, Jennifer Phillips! The Episcopal Church requires at least three meetings for pastoral preparation before the clergy can officiate at a marriage.

*Choosing to be married in a church rather than a secular setting means that you are making your marriage promises to God as well as to each other, and calling on the Church community to witness this and help and uphold you as you try to live into them over time. We believe that Christian marriage needs to be anchored in church membership and we warmly invite you to become part of this warm and lovely community next to URI. At least one member of the couple must be an Episcopal Communicant in good standing --which means attending church for awhile and getting to know the community and grounding your marriage discernment in prayer.

If this is a second or subsequent marriage following divorce for either of you, the preparation process involves getting permission from the Diocesan Bishop and can take several months. The Rector will guide you through the process.

*If you wish, it perfectly fine to have a civil marriage and then come to church for a Blessing of that Marriage some time afterwards. In any case, you will need to secure a marriage license from South Kingstown Town Hall and give it to the officiating clergy before the service can be performed.

*Our building seats roughly 150 in the church. The parish hall (not fully wheelchair accessible yet, alas) is available for rental along with a spacious commercial kitchen. For members, fee for use of these facilities for a wedding and reception is $400; for nonmembers it is $600. There are community groups using the parish hall regularly on Saturday mornings and evenings and Wednesday evenings, but at other times they are available. The post-and-beam church has lots of natural light from big windows looking out into the trees.

Ordinarily the church musician is available to play for weddings if desired at standard AGO rates ($250-300 depending on whether the rehearsal is included). Music selections need to be approved by the Rector - just to make sure they are suitable for church use. You are welcome to bring your own musicians. If the pipe organ or piano is used by another musician, it is customary to pay a bench fee to the resident musician ($150) as well. An honorarium is appropriate for officiating clergy. If money is a problem, please speak to the rector about adjusting fees.

*The rector will be happy to discuss details of your wedding with you and help you plan, and can recommend resource people to you as well. The congregation of St. Augustine’s will be glad to pray for you in your time of discernment and planning as you begin life together - may God bless you on the journey.

It is a joy to be planning a wedding service. This information should help you decide if St. Augustine's might be the right choice for your wedding. Once you have read through this information, if you have further questions please call the rector, Dr. Jennifer Phillips, at 782-0587. The church office is open Tues- Thurs from 9-2 p.m.