Congratulations on your engagement! A wedding in church celebrates not only your love for one another, but also celebrates God’s love living within you, revealed in a new and deeper way through the sacrament of matrimony. We at Assumption are here to welcome you and assist you as you prepare for your wedding and for your life together as husband and wife.

Who can be married at Assumption?: It is not necessary to be a registered member of the parish to be married at Assumption. However, at least one party must be a baptized Catholic. If either party has been married before (either in a civil or religious ceremony) a priest must be consulted before any arrangements can be made.

What do I do first?: To initiate the process, call our parish secretary Wanda West (312-644-0036) between 9:00 and 5:00 weekdays. She will inform you of available dates and will send you additional wedding information. To allow adequate time for the preparation process, weddings should be scheduled at least six months in advance.

When do weddings take place at Assumption?: Our regular times for weddings are at 1:00 and 3:00pm on Saturday afternoons. Weddings may also be scheduled on Friday evenings, on Saturday evenings, and (with certain liturgical restrictions) on Sunday afternoons. No weddings take place during Lent, the forty days before Easter. Rehearsals are normally the evening before the wedding.

How much does it cost?: The usual donation is $700.00. Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons are considered premium times and there is an additional fee. There is a $200.00 reservation fee, which is part of the $700.00. The reservation fee is due in the parish office 10 days after the wedding date has been arranged. If the reservation fee is not received, then the date will be released to other parties. If the reservation is cancelled within 30 days, the $200.00 will be refunded. Fees for the cantor and musicians are extra.

What else do we have to do?: Approximately six months before your wedding, one of our parish priests will contact you to begin the preparation process. Preparation involves taking and reviewing the FOCCUS marriage preparation inventory, attending one of the Archdiocesan marriage preparation programs (either a full day on Saturday or a weekend experience), completing a pre-nuptial form, and choosing the scriptures and prayers for the ceremony. Each Catholic party must provide a baptismal certificate issued by the church of his or her baptism during the past six months. Affidavits affirming each person’s freedom to marry may also be required. A wedding license from Cook County issued within the previous sixty days should be presented to the priest at the rehearsal.

Are there any special rules when a Catholic marries a non-Catholic?: Out of hospitality to the large number of non-Catholics likely to be present, the vows normally take place within a Liturgy of the Word (a ceremony that takes about 40 minutes) rather than at a Wedding Mass (which takes about an hour). However, as long as the non-Catholic party has been baptized, a Wedding Mass is permitted. The non-Catholic party is also asked to provide some proof of baptism; and the Catholic party is asked to sign a statement affirming his or her intention to remain a Catholic and to have children baptized and raised Catholic.

What if I have a family friend whom I’d like to perform the wedding?: Visiting priests and deacons are most welcome to officiate at weddings at Assumption. The visitor should send a letter of intent committing himself to be at the rehearsal and at the wedding. If the priest or deacon is also taking care of the preparation, then all documents relative to the marriage should be at Assumption one month before the wedding.

What about music at the wedding?: Our parish musicians and cantors provide the music for all weddings. Couples are asked to contact the parish music coordinator (312-644-0036, ext 31) three months before the wedding. The coordinator will aid you in choosing suitable music for the wedding liturgy and will also make any arrangements for additional instrumentalists if they are desired. Couples are required to consult with the coordinator before making any musical plans or arrangements. The coordinator must approve all music and musicians selected for you ceremony. Outside musicians are not permitted without prior approval from the coordinator.

What should I tell my photographer and videographer?: Photographers and videographers may set up their equipment 30 minutes before the wedding. They may not interfere with the wedding procession or wedding liturgy, nor may they enter the sanctuary portion of the church at any time. The video camera is to be situated in one place (either at the side or the rear of the church) for the entire ceremony. Still photographs may be taken in the body of the church for fifteen minutes after the ceremony, provided that the ceremony begins on time.

How big is Assumption Church?: The church aisle is 70 feet long. There are 17 rows of pews. The church seats a maximum of 350 people.

Do you have a Bride’s Room?: Assumption does not have a Bride’s Room, so it is best for the Bride to arrive and wait in the car until the time of the wedding. There is a washroom in the rear of the church.

What kinds of decorations are permitted?: Floral arrangements may be placed in the sanctuary area. Flowers should be delivered about one half hour before the wedding. No candles, hurricane lamps, trellises or canopies are allowed in the aisles or outside the church. It is not permitted to have flower petals strewn in the aisle; and, because of safety considerations, rice, birdseed, confetti, balloons, bubbles, doves and other winged creatures are not permitted either inside or in front of the church. If the ceremony includes the lighting of a unity candle, the couple must provide the candle. Aisle runners are allowed at Assumption.

Himpelmann/Holan Wedding: Army Captain Joseph Himpelmann and Stacy Holan were married at Assumption Parish by Father Ron Gramza on May 26, 2007. -- Click here for photo gallery.

If you were married at Assumption church and want your wedding featured on the Assumption Web site, here are the guidelines for submitting wedding photos and information:

Wedding Photos: You can submit one or two photos in jpeg format. The primary photo of the couple must be in a letter-size format to fit in the heading layout. The second photo can be any part of the wedding ceremony- preferably in a landscape-size format, however, any format will be accepted (refer to the Himpelmann/ Holan Wedding page for an example). Please submit each photo in a separate email.

Wedding Information: The information about the wedding couple must be limited to 90 words or less to fit in the gray box to the right of the photo of the couple. Please include the full name of the bride and groom, the date of marriage, and the name of the priest/deacon performing the marriage.

If you are submitting a second photo of the ceremony, please include a caption. You can include the names of the couple and the priest. However, we prefer not to includes the names of the members of the wedding party. Also include the name of the wedding photographer (you can include a link to the photographer's website if you prefer).

The person submitting the photos and copy must guarantee in the email that they have permissions from all parties in the photos that they give Assumption Parish permission to use the photo on the parish website. Please keep the permissions in your personal records and do not send them with the photos.

Please include the couples' names and the words wedding page in the email heading.

Where to Send the Photos and Information: Send the photos and information to the Assumption Webmaster, at webmaster@assumption-chgo.org. You will be sent a link to a temporary formatted page for your approval/comments before it is uploaded to the Assumption Website.