Weddings
We offer our warmest congratulations to couples preparing for marriage at St. James Cathedral,
a sacred sacrament that unites two people in heart, body, and mind in a lifelong commitment.
Please review the details and requirements below carefully to help guide your next steps.
- Setting a Date
- Cancellation Policy
- Special Arrangements
- Meet the Wedding Coordinator
- Planning the Ceremony | Liturgy
- Planning the Ceremony | Time
- Planning the Ceremony | Music
- Planning the Ceremony | Decorations
- Planning the Ceremony | Children
- Planning the Ceremony | Photography
- Planning the Ceremony | Videography
- The Wedding Suite
- Conduct
- Forms and Documents
- Fees
Free to Marry
Grounded in our baptismal covenant to respect the dignity of every person, St. James Cathedral joyfully opens its doors to every couple discerning the sacrament of marriage, celebrating God’s love in all its forms and welcoming all committed partners to make their vows before God and this community.
Marriage Preparation
To help build a strong foundation for your life together, the Episcopal Church requires all couples to complete premarital counseling—typically three sessions with a licensed secular counselor of your choice or via a cathedral referral—once your date is reserved at St. James. This essential preparation ensures you are thoughtfully ready for a lifelong commitment, and our team will also gently guide you through an additional procedural step if either partner has been previously married.
Setting a Date
Please note that St. James Cathedral is the Episcopal cathedral located at 65 E. Huron Street. We are independent of St. James Chapel at Holy Name Cathedral (835 N. Rush Street), which conducts Roman Catholic weddings.
Weddings at St. James Cathedral may be scheduled Monday through Saturday between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with the exception of national holidays, the week following Easter, and the week preceding Christmas.
- View the Wedding Calendar.
- Complete the Wedding Inquiry Questionnaire.
- The Cathedral Wedding Coordinator will confirm your preferred date with you.
- View our Fees below and deposit today!
*Note: Your reservation will be fully confirmed once our Wedding Coordinator reviews your details and your deposit is received.
Cancellation Policy
The wedding party may cancel at any time, with full or partial refunds issued at the Cathedral's discretion based on advance notice. The Cathedral reserves the right to cancel any service without refund if canonical or state legal requirements are not satisfied.
Special Arrangements
A St. James priest typically officiates at all wedding ceremonies. Other Episcopal clergy are welcome to officiate with the permission of the Dean. At the Dean's discretion, guest clergy from other Christian denominations or faith traditions are also welcome to participate in the service.
Meet the Wedding Coordinator
Your ceremony is guided by your officiating priest and Dr. John Elson Williams, who directs wedding operations for the Cathedral. You are welcome to engage a private wedding consultant/day of wedding coordinator. They must abide by Cathedral guidelines, collaborate with our Cathedral Wedding Coordinator, and defer to our officiant during rehearsals and services. Should you have any additional questions, please message him here.
Planning the Ceremony | Liturgy
Selecting a Liturgy
In your meetings with clergy, you'll select the most appropriate liturgy and receive a wedding planning guide that will help you select appropriate Scripture, music, and other elements of the ceremony. You may choose between two service options:
- Rite of Marriage with Communion: Weddings at the Cathedral may be celebrated within the context of the Holy Eucharist, anchoring your marriage in Christ's love for the Church. As you make your lifelong vows to one another and share in Holy Communion, the priest witnesses your covenant, pronounces the Church's blessing, and guides the community in celebrating this holy sacrament.
- Rite of Marriage without Communion: This Liturgy is shorter. It includes a Liturgy of the Word and homily, but omits Holy Communion.
Selecting a Sacred Space
St. Andrew’s Chapel
- Seats 30 and a limited wedding party
- Ideal for intimate weddings
Note: The chapel does not have an organ or piano. Couples must arrange their own music in collaboration with the celebrant.
Planning the Ceremony | Time
With many eucharists, baptisms, and diocesan services each weekend, demand is high for our sacred spaces! Be prepared and have a plan when you arrive!
Day Before the Service:
- Typically in the afternoon, 4:00 p.m. Rehearsal: Led by the priest and Cathedral Wedding Coordinator, lasting 45 minutes.
Day of the Service:
- T-90 Minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes before): Florist access begins.
- T-60 Minutes: Florist setup must be completely finished.
- T-45 Minutes: All pre-ceremony photographs in the Cathedral must conclude for guests to begin arriving.
- T-30 Minutes: Photographers and videographers meet with the St. James wedding coordinator.
- T-15 Minutes: Photographs of the wedding party must be completed so attendants can be brought to their respective places in advance of the ceremony.
- 0:00: Wedding Service Begins.
- Post-Service: Post-ceremony photographs begin immediately following the service, lasting no longer than 30 minutes.
Planning the Ceremony | Music
All wedding music is arranged in consultation with our Acting Director of Music, Nico Tjoelker, who will guide you in selecting pieces appropriate for your ceremony. If you wish to include additional vocalists or instrumentalists, they must be engaged directly through St. James and will incur an additional fee. Our Cathedral Wedding Coordinator will happily connect you with Nico to begin planning.
- Sacred Music: Since the wedding is a worship service, only sacred music is allowed.
- Soloists: We are glad to help you secure professional soloists, instrumentalists, or vocalists from our staff musicians to enrich your wedding service.
- Guest Musicians: We welcome guest vocalists to sing one prelude song. All music in our worship services must be sacred, so the text of vocal solos must be drawn from Scripture or sacred poetry. Frequent rehearsals with the director of music may require an extra fee.
- Rehearsal: Music is not part of the wedding rehearsal.
Planning the Ceremony | Decorations
Flowers
The couple is responsible for hiring a florist.
- Cathedral Flowers: Decor is limited to two arrangements flanking the altar (not exceeding its height) and two behind it. All arrangements, including outdoor decor, require prior approval from the Wedding Coordinator; artificial flowers and greenery are prohibited. Contact the coordinator to plan any outdoor installations. Couples are encouraged to take their wedding flowers home following the ceremony; however, you are also welcome to donate them to the Cathedral for use during Sunday services.
- Florist Timeline: Florists have access to the Cathedral 90 minutes before the ceremony, must wrap up all setup 60 minutes prior to start time, and must remove all supplemental arrangements immediately following the service.
Candles
Unity candles are not permitted. Only altar candles will be permitted.
Decorating Pews and Aisles
Attach pew decorations with ribbon, tulle, or other fabric. Pew clips don't fit on our pews, which are beveled. To protect our pews and aisles, the following items are prohibited:
- Aisle runners
- Tacks, staples, or other piercing hardware
- Tape, putty, or other adhesives
- Shedding greenery
The wedding couple is responsible for any damage to pews, the aisle, and other furnishings.
Outdoors
Wreaths are permitted on entry doors, provided that tacks, staples, nails, or any material which might harm the door are not used. The Cathedral also prohibits rice, bird seed, confetti, bubbles, sparklers, or similar materials anywhere on campus. Make sure to plan for any allowed items to be cleaned up after the ceremony!
Other decorations require the Wedding Coordinator, and we reserve the right to have unapproved decorations removed upon request.
*Note: Art installations in the Cathedral will not be removed.
Planning the Ceremony | Children
- Flower Girls: The Cathedral doesn't permit flowers or other objects to be scattered, indoors or outdoors.
- Ring Bearers: If you do include a ring bearer in your wedding party, the rings they carries will be symbolic.
The Cathedral does not offer nursery care during weddings. In accordance with Diocesan Safe Church, Safe Communities policies, we are unable to provide space for private or impromptu childcare by family or guests. Please be sure to share this detail with your guests in advance.
Planning the Ceremony | Photography
The couple is responsible for hiring a photographer.
The Wedding Coordinator is the photographer's main point of contact while on campus. They will help direct the photographer. As the host couple, you are responsible for sharing these guidelines with your photographer and ensuring they agree to follow them. We reserve the right to ask any photographer or videographer who violates these rules to correct the issue or leave the premises.
Download shareable guidelines for your photographer.
Planning the Ceremony | Videography
Live Stream
Our streaming team can produce a multi-camera, broadcast-quality live stream of your wedding ceremony, ideal for sharing with friends and family who can't attend the wedding. It also serves as an enduring record of your wedding ceremony. Click here to learn more!
Hired Videographers
The Wedding Coordinator is the videographer's main point of contact while on campus. They will help direct the videographer. As the host couple, you are responsible for sharing these guidelines with your photographer and ensuring they agree to follow them. We reserve the right to ask any photographer or videographer who violates these rules to correct the issue or leave the premises.
Download shareable guidelines for your videographer.
The Wedding Suite
Located on the lower ground floor on the North Wabash side, the Wedding Suite can be reached by going downstairs and is right next to the restrooms. This room is for the exclusive use of the couple.
Refreshments
- Food is not permitted in the Wedding Suite.
- Alcohol is not permitted on campus.
The Wedding Suite must be returned to its original condition following your service, so please designate someone to oversee tidying the space. All valuable items should be cleared from the suite at least 10 minutes prior to the ceremony—we strongly recommend assigning a trusted guest outside the wedding party to collect and secure all belongings. Please note that neither the Cathedral Wedding Coordinator nor St. James Cathedral can assume responsibility for items left anywhere on the cathedral grounds before, during, or after your ceremony.
Conduct
- Smoking: Smoking is not permitted in any building on campus.
- Alcohol: Alcohol cannot be brought to or consumed on the Cathedral campus at the rehearsal, before the ceremony, at the ceremony, or after the ceremony.
- Sobriety: Wedding participants must arrive for and participate in the ceremony in a sober state! In the event there is a question about the sobriety of the party, the celebrant may refuse to perform the ceremony, or ask the member in question to leave the premises.
Forms and Documents
Cathedral Forms
Civil Forms
Secure your marriage license from the Cook County Clerk's Office in advance. Licenses become valid the day after application and expire 60 days later, so be sure to check their deadlines carefully to ensure your license is valid on the day of your ceremony. Your license must be handed to the Cathedral Wedding Coordinator at or before the rehearsal. Neither the rehearsal nor the wedding ceremony can take place without it.
Fees
A 50% deposit is required to confirm the date and time; the remaining balance is due 30 days prior to the wedding. Deposit Today!
- Cathedral Sanctuary: $5,500 for non-members; $2,750 for parishioners who have been members for at least six months. This includes the use of the cathedral and the required services of the wedding coordinator, music director, and staff.
- St. Andrew's Chapel: $1600 for non-members; $800 for parishioners who have been members for at least six months. This includes the use of the chapel and the required services of the wedding coordinator, clergy, and staff.
- Livestream: $300 due with the reservation 30 days prior to the wedding.
Note: Any requests for supplementary musicians or extended staff time will incur additional fees.