The seating of mothers and grandmothers is to begin promptly at the announced ceremony time. There will be an additional charge of $50 per fifteen minutes late; after 45 minutes, the fee will increase to $200. It is also understood that a wedding ceremony should normally take no longer than an hour and a half, or an hour and 45 minutes if full Hispanic customs are observed, and that singers and musicians may have to leave early if a wedding starts considerably late and they have commitments later in the day. Starting late shows disrespect for the house of God, the dignity of the sacred rites of divine worship, and the time of invited guests, hired professionals, clergy, altar servers and their families, and choir members who taken time out of their day to make the wedding as beautiful as possible.
A wedding that starts too late could easily conflict with a following parish mass
I know that I pay union musicians by the minute. Why are we less valuable than they are? I wasn’t being paid—obviously—for my sisters wedding but it is a bit demeaning to make unreasonable demands on staff members time in a normal parish.
No need to collect any late fees, in that case, and most of the music and readings can still be performed. All that would be left out are the offertory, Eucharistic Prayer, and Communion. The priest can also plan to give a truncated homily, if need be.
Our parish accountant insists that payments go through her now.
a very good idea, but wouldn't the church need to state in writing the likely circumstances where it would incur?
I don't see why I should worry myself about anyone starting late. It's finishing late that's the problem, isn't it?
Did they announce this to the congregation as to why the wedding would be delayed? Just curious.The groom forgot his tuxedo pants for the second.
And how does that affect the music fees? Do you have singers who drive a considerable distance, like some of mine?One of the priests here tells people that if they are any more than 10 minutes late, the wedding is off and they have to reschedule.
I can't say that's the case here. First, it's quite a lot of work—typically five movements of a polyphonic Mass, three motets, and the propers. Second, my section leaders don't get paid any more for weddings than for parish Masses. It would be intolerable for a Sunday or feast day Mass to start 15 minutes late, and unthinkable for it to start more than 45 minutes late! And yes, as a matter of justice, I would feel obligated to compensate them for their time if that were to happen.It was quite the lucrative side hustle for so little work
Are you the organist? If you're not the one who has to increase the prelude from 25 minutes to 70 or more, then I suppose it isn't your problem.I don't see why I should worry myself about anyone starting late. It's finishing late that's the problem, isn't it?
That's part of the concern, isn't it? When he realizes his musicians have all left midway through a Mass that started the better part of an hour late, does the celebrant just switch over from Sung to Low Mass? Recto tono the choir parts himself?I had an organist friend that would stay for an hour after the scheduled start time. After that hour, he would just leave to go to his vigil mass.
The forgotten trousers were referred to humorously in the sermon.Did they announce this to the congregation as to why the wedding would be delayed? Just curious.
Most weddings are pleasant. A few are memorable. And fewer still are those that are truly enjoyable and spiritually rewarding. These are the ones about which the bride and groom showed genuine and enthusiastic appreciation for the music and the effort that goes into realising a sacred ceremony and show it every time we happen to meet. Numbers of times I've overheard someone say 'he (or you) played for our wedding!'. It's easy to get into a negative attitude about weddings because of the relatively few that one would like to forget as soon as possible. Weddings should be thought of as memorable, and special, parts of parish life in spite of those who think of them as purely private affairs and are difficult to deal with. Try praying for your brides and grooms as they enter another path in their spiritual lives. If a wedding is just another 'wedding' for which one gets a financial shot in the arm something is wrong!...ever particularly enjoyed...
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