Getting Married at the Cathedral
Welcome and congratulations on your engagement. We wish you every joy and happiness as you prepare and enter into marriage. We believe God instituted marriage for his purposes and for our good. It is a great gift of God to men and women and we hope that you will come to experience how good it can be. It is our desire to be as helpful as possible and to ensure your wedding day is both meaningful and happy. Our beautiful and historic building - the oldest Cathedral in Australia - has been the venue for thousands of weddings since the early days of the colony. Welcome to the wonderful and lasting tradition of a wedding at St Andrew’s Cathedral!
Commonly asked Questions regarding marriage at St Andrew's:
Weddings and COVID-19
The Cathedral building has the advantage in being a large and lofty space with excellent ventilation. We have a Covid-safe policy that is regularly updated. The Cathedral is equipped with automatic hand sanitisers and QR check-in points.
What days of the week could I have my wedding at St Andrew’s?
We conduct weddings usually on Saturdays but if the Cathedral is available we can conduct your wedding on another day of the week.
May I use my own marriage service?
You may discuss aspects of the Marriage service with our Minister when you have your first meeting. However, we are only able to use Authorised Services set by the Diocese of Sydney.
Music
Typically, weddings in the Cathedral use our beautiful pipe organ with one of our organists. Our world-renowned Cathedral Choir can also be a possibility of helping lead the singing and provide other music.
Do I have to be baptised or a member of the cathedral?
No.
What costs are involved?
Currently the basic cost of a wedding service at the Cathedral is $3,400. This includes the use of the Cathedral, marriage preparation, the Minister, and Organist. Optional items are available for an additional cost, e.g.: bellringers, choir. We ask that any booking is confirmed with a deposit of $1000.
The next steps
Contact our office (cathedral@sydney.anglican.asn.au) for a copy of our Wedding Guide and to see when the Cathedral is available.
The Cathedral is a popular venue for weddings and we often take bookings more than a year in advance. Bookings are subject to Cathedral availability.
Consider attending one of our Cathedral Services.
Through our office, arrange to meet with a Minister from the Cathedral for a Pre-Marriage Consultation (and to book the wedding date).
You are responsible for completing your Notice of Intended Marriage. This must be completed, signed and witnessed at least a month prior to the wedding. We suggest you send this into the Cathedral when you make your booking. This form is downloaded from the NSW Births Deaths and Marriages website.
Expect to meet with that Minister on several occasions to prepare wedding documents, talk through the wedding ceremony and discuss the Christian faith in relation to marriage.
Expect to hold a wedding rehearsal in the week before the wedding day, in the Cathedral.
Get Married!
We wish you every blessing in all your wedding plans.