Wedding Photographers & Videographers at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church (Mercer), Mercer

A wedding at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Mercer comes with a clear plan, because the parish publishes a full wedding planning packet. For your photographer and videographer, that's a gift: the parish allows photography and video as long as they aren't obtrusive, so they can capture the processional, your vows and the walk back up the aisle while staying out of the way of the liturgy.

Your wedding ceremony takes place in the church, usually on a Saturday, and ordinarily only one couple gets married there each Saturday. When both of you are Catholic the parish suggests a Nuptial Mass, and when one of you isn't, a ceremony with the Liturgy of the Word. There is a bridal room for getting ready, and the parish organist and soloist ordinarily provide the music, which gives your videographer a steady, live soundtrack for the day. Decorations for the liturgical season stay in place, so a ceremony near Christmas or Easter will carry that look in your wedding photos.

Some house rules help you plan: aisle runners aren't permitted, rice, confetti and birdseed aren't allowed on church grounds, and receiving lines belong at the reception. The rehearsal is usually the night before and lasts about 45 minutes. Weddings aren't held on Sundays, Holy Days or during Holy Week, and ordinarily not during Lent.

• Contact the pastor at least six months before your wedding day; no date is set until that first meeting.
• Fill out the scheduling and preliminary information forms and read the Wedding Planning Packet.
• Ask the parish about photo and video guidelines and walk the church with your photographer.

A little about Immaculate Heart of Mary Church

Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish dates to 1838 and belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Erie. The parish hosts its gatherings in Gallagher Hall, and the church stands at 100 Penn Avenue in Mercer.