Weddings at St. James Florence

Congratulations, and thank you for considering St. James Church for your religious ceremony. Below you will find answers to many of your questions. If you do not find what you are looking for, email us at: weddings@stjames.it.

To celebrate your wedding in an Episcopal Church, it is not required that you either be Episcopalian or even attend an Episcopal Church, although we encourage you to establish a connection with an Episcopal or Anglican church in your neighborhood in order to become familiar with our traditions.

Requirements

Before your religious ceremony at St. James, Italian law requires that you first complete a civil marriage. This can be accomplished before you leave your home country, or here in Italy with the correct marriage license.

You must provide a copy of your marriage certificate before the ceremony can take place in the church.

For more information about U.S. citizens marrying in Italy, see the U.S. Embassy’s webpage:

https://it.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/marriage/

In order to provide the blessing of God and the church, our canons (laws of the church) require that you respond to questions about your intentions and status, even though your legal marriage will occur separately from the blessing given by St. James Church.  We must determine that you are fully able and free to make the vows of marriage, and that at least one of you is baptized.

We must verify that you have received some form of instruction about Christian marriage (that is, premarital counselling), either locally or at a venue convenient to you.

If one or both of you are divorced, additional requirements apply, including that the divorced person(s) supply a confidential letter for both the Rector the Bishop who oversees St. James.

Details regarding these requirements will be provided upon your inquiry.

Church Availability

Weddings are customarily held on Saturdays, with the time of the liturgy set  between 9 A.M. and 8 P.M., though other days of the week are negotiable at the  discretion of the rector. Dates and times are reserved on a first-come,  first-served basis. Outside of the regular Masses of Sunday, wherein  parishioners in good standing may choose to be married, the Sacrament of  Marriage is not offered on Sunday. For extraordinary reasons, marriage may be  undertaken during the season of Lent, but never from the Saturday before Holy  Week to the first Friday after Easter Day. The Sacrament is also withheld on the following days: New Year’s Eve, Ash Wednesday, Workers Day (May 1st), Republic Day (June 2), Juneteenth (June 19th), the Feast of St. John the  Baptist (24 June), American Independence Day (July 4th), Ferragosto (15 August), Halloween (October 31st), All Saints’ Day (Nov 1), American Thanksgiving (4th Thursday of November), Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec 8), Christmas Eve (Dec 24),  Christmas Day (Dec 25) and St. Stephen’s Day (Dec 26).

Your Ceremony

We follow the rites of the Episcopal Church. We will provide you with the text of those sacraments upon request.

The structure of the service provides opportunities for members of the family and friends to read from the Scriptures. If you wish, we can provide traditional suggestions. The Episcopal Church Liturgy does not permit ceremonial additions such as Unity Candles or writing one’s own vows. 

Wedding Planning

St. James can answer your questions regarding the service at the church only. Flowers, photographers, printed handouts, and so on must all be organized independently.

We recommend that you work with one of the many wedding planners in your country or in Tuscany who can organize everything for you. Attempting to organize the details yourself, far from Florence and possibly with scant Italian, can be a stressful task.

The contribution you make to St. James Church for your wedding will assist the Church in its maintenance and many activities to support the Florentine community.

Music during the Ceremony

Music during the ceremony is optional. If you wish, we can provide guidance regarding when during the ceremony music is appropriate. Prerecorded music cannot be played during the ceremony at any time.

If you would like to hire our professional organist, please contact him directly; he works on a freelance basis. Note that donations for the organist are separate from the ceremony. He can also assist you with the selection of suitable music or musicians.

Photo/Video

Flash photography is not permitted during the ceremony. Flash may be used during the bride’s entrance and when the couple exits. After the service, you may make additional photos reenacting the service.

St. James Church is a well-lit space. No extra lighting is permitted unless previously agreed upon by the church. When photographing, please maintain a respectable distance from the wedding party. Photographs from behind the altar or behind the priest are not allowed.

Additional information

• When organizing flowers for the church, not that flowers are not permitted atop the altar.
• The throwing of rice is strictly forbidden due to the safety hazard it poses (our portico has marble floor). Flower petals are permitted.

Donations

We invite interested parties to please contact the church office using the dedicated email: weddings@stjames.it for suggested donation amounts.