Weddings
At St. Anthony couples work together with clergy to make a wedding a meaningful, joyous event – a sacrament as well as a gathering of those who will support the couple. The process encourages couples to seek a closer relationship with God and the Church.
We are honored and delighted that you are considering our church to be the setting for one of the most important events in your life. God cares about you, your marriage, and your happiness. We want to help you design a joyful ceremony using the resources of the Christian faith within the context of the rich tradition of the Episcopal Church.
While we don’t require that you become a part of our community before getting married, we do hope that you will give us serious consideration as a potential church home during the time you prepare for marriage.
We ask couples to take the follow steps to arrange a wedding at St. Anthony on the Desert.
Step 1: Decide if St. Anthony is the right place for your wedding. Your first step is to attend worship if you are not already a part of our church community so that you have a better understanding of our liturgical traditions.
Step 2: Talk with Debbie Hubbs our parish administrator, for general information and questions regarding the availability of facilities and clergy.
Step 3: Your next step is to contact Fr. Bruce Jackson to set up an in-person meeting. He will ask you about your plans, tell you about St. Anthony, review our guidelines surrounding weddings and associated fees and answer your questions.
Step 4: Complete the necessary paperwork. Our wedding brochure includes information about fees, music, attendants, and basic requirements. It also provides guidelines for photographers and florists. After reading these details, you’ll complete the wedding information form and the Declaration of Intention. This will be provided at your meeting with Fr. Jackson.
Step 5: Meet for Premarital Counseling. While your wedding is very important to us, the health of your relationship after marriage is even more important. Once married, couples often need help living into the vows they have taken and need practical skills to help keep their love alive. Four sessions of premarital counseling will assist you in identifying your strengths as a couple as well as ways to nurture your marriage so that it can become the fulfilling, lifelong relationship which God intended it to be.