Weddings

Music and Liturgy Guidelines for Weddings at Newman

Our parish director of Music and Liturgy, Colleen Lenord, is very experienced in the preparation of wedding liturgies and she will be happy to assist you in creating a celebration that reflects your relationship to each other and your faith life. If requested, she can also arrange for other singers and instrumentalists from the Newman community to participate in the ceremony. Please contact her at colleenlenord@gmail.com or (510) 848-7812, extension 216, as soon as possible after deciding with the staff priest on a date.

Our wedding coordinator/sacristan can advise you on matters related to flowers, banners, candles, and the like. Please contact her at least 2 months in advance of the wedding by leaving a note at the front desk at Newman, or Colleen will give you the contact information.

If you prefer to have outside musicians perform at your wedding, this is permissible but Colleen must be notified of such choices. If non-Newman musicians will be using Newman equipment or assistance with setting up their own, this must be arranged well in advance with her. She is also available to help you and the outside musicians make appropriate musical selections. In preparing for your wedding, please consider sacred music in harmony with and flowing from the words and symbols of the liturgy; secular selections with special meaning to you as a couple may be more appropriate for the reception.

Some Practical Matters

  • Please keep in mind that the chapel is a sacred space and should be treated as such.
  • Please respect the time of all those involved and be on time for meetings with staff and for the rehearsal and ceremony.
  • Please do not use tape of any kind on the pews or the floor.
  • Please do not strew rice, confetti, birdseed, and the like either inside or outside the church.
  • We invite you to make arrangements for your flowers to be removed after the festivities are over. If you wish to leave them at Newman, please let Colleen know so that we can acknowledge the gift in the church bulletin.
  • We ask that photography and video recording during the church ser vice be limited to professionals only, and that the photographers be sensitive to the sacred space, to the ritual, and to the celebrant and musicians.
  • There is limited parking in the Newman lot directly across Dwight Way from the church building. In addition, weekday evenings after 5 p.m. and all day on week ends the University of California’s Underhill parking lot, one block north of Newman and west of College Avenue between Haste and Channing, is available for public parking for a nominal fee. See http://pt.berkeley.edu/park/public for details, including a note about seasonal special events for which the lot may be unavailable or the charge greater, or call the University Parking and Transportation Department at (510) 643-7701 with any questions.
  • Although we have a lost-and-found cupboard at the reception desk, Newman is not responsible for articles left behind.

Wedding Fees

Please check with Colleen or the priest presiding at your wedding to confirm that the charges listed below are current.

  • $650 CHAPEL OFFERING, payable to Newman Hall one month prior to the wedding, is requested as an offering for the use of the facilities and the time and work of the staff. If you wish to give a gift to the priest, $100 is the usual amount.
  • IN ADDITION, IF NEWMAN MUSICIANS ARE USED:
    • $250 MUSIC COORDINATOR’S FEE, payable to Colleen Lenord one week prior to the wedding, is for Colleen’s services;
    • $150 FOR EACH NEWMAN INSTRUMENTALIST OR SINGER, if any are requested. The fee may be adjusted depending on the number and complexity of pieces chosen. Although their presence at the wedding rehearsal is rarely necessary, an extra fee of $50 each is requested if their attendance is required.
    • $150 for the Newman Wedding Coordinator/Sacristan.
  • IN ADDITION, IF OUTSIDE MUSICIANS ARE USED:
    • $100 CONSULTATION FEE to Colleen.
    • $50 EQUIPMENT FEE if outside musicians use Newman’s sound equipment, plus $150 REFUNDABLE SECURITY DEPOSIT.

    Again, congratulations, and may the Lord enrich your hearts with love for each other that you will be salt and light for our world.
    The Newman Staff

    Final Checklist
    Have you

    • met with the Newman priest who will schedule your wedding?
    • completed a Marriage Preparation Program?
    • completed the paperwork given you by the priest?
    • contacted the Newman Music Director?
    • contacted the Newman Wedding Coordinator/Sacristan?
    • obtained your civil marriage license? (Be sure to bring this to the rehearsal.)
    • written and distributed checks for
      • Newman Hall?
      • the Music Director?
      • the Wedding Coordinator/Sacristan?

 

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