The Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul, Philadelphia

KristyMac25

Does anyone have plans to marry at this cathedral, or has anyone been married there before? I am from South Jersey, but my Fiance is from PA, so Philadelphia would be a great midway point. Since we needed a Catholic Church that neither of us belonged to, I found the Basilica to be a beautiful place to wed. Does anyone know how difficult it is to reserve a date? How far in advance?

ooodsie

I tried for my wedding - they were booked.. They are INSANELY expensive, just so you know. something like $2500 for the church 'donation' to have your ceremony there.  Just so you're not caught off guard.  Depending on the season, peak season I hear they are booked almost a year out.. Off peak may be better.

ANBJTC111310

My friend tried to book there and it was $2000 just for the church. Also, they have MANY rules for the music, attire and singers. You have to use their singer/organist. No pictures are allowed in church afterwards. Girls shoulders need to be covered. My friend really wanted to get married there, but didn't want to pay that much and deal with all the rules.

There are many catholic churches in Philly: Check out these
1) St. Patrick  20th and Locust Sts
2) St. Augustine 4th st
3) St. John the Evangilist 13th St.

Stacylynn702

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_pennsylvania-philadelphia_basilica-of-saints-peter-paul-philadelphia?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:105Discussion:92e18bf5-1f5b-41ba-ac46-6f127eb9d050Post:8189e3d7-feb9-4956-8bb0-97920c714ad9">Re: The Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul, Philadelphia</a>:
[QUOTE]My friend tried to book there and it was $2000 just for the church. Also, they have MANY rules for the music, attire and singers. You have to use their singer/organist. No pictures are allowed in church afterwards. Girls shoulders need to be covered. My friend really wanted to get married there, but didn't want to pay that much and deal with all the rules. There are many catholic churches in Philly: Check out these 1) St. Patrick  20th and Locust Sts 2) St. Augustine 4th st 3) St. John the Evangilist 13th St.
Posted by ANBJTC111310[/QUOTE]

I think Tac is getting married at St Johns on 13th St.  (I could be wrong).  It's a beautiful church though so you should def check it out.   

Where do you want to have your reception?  I could suggest other churches as well, perhaps closer to your venue.

PharmJen

We called the Basilica in Nov 2008 for our May 2010 wedding and the price was $2k and there were TONS of rules that made it difficult for us as out-of-towners.  We were married at Old St Joseph's in Old City - they were very easy to work with and moderately priced for a downtown church.  

St. Rita, St. Augustine and St. John are also very beautiful.  OSJ has a more historic feel - not a big cathedral.  When calling around, you may want to call more than once (or you and your FI call on different days).  We were told by more than one of the above churches that they would not marry couples who weren't parishioners and I quickly learned that this isn't the case since other knotties have/are getting married there.  Sometimes, it just depends on who you talk to and what kind of a mood they're in unfortunately! 

GL!

ETA: I'm from South Jersey and DH is from Philly as well 

ooodsie

We got married at St Ritas on Broad St and it was absolutely beautiful.. I loved the church (we have actually gone back for mass on numerous occasions because we loved it so much).   You have to bring your own priest in to marry you though, the parish priests do not do the ceremonies for non parishoners.  

[Deleted User]

Are you only looking for CC? 
My church is in Bryn Mawr and allows non-parishioners as I live in London, although my mom grew up in the parish and my parents were married in there in 1977. 
It only costs $200, other costs if wanted are: $200 for the organist, $200 for a cantor, $150 for a trumpet $150 for violin. 

It's only about 20/25 minutes from CC in between Montgomery and Lancaster Aves. 

kmm425

I am getting married at the Basilica next July.  They are very expensive by I live in Fairmount and it is our parish so it meant a lot to us that we get married in the church that we actually attend mass at.  It is also beautiful inside and a great location for taking pictures around the city, so we didn't mind that you couldn't take posed pictures inside after the ceremony because we planned to use that time to take pictures outside.  If you would like any more info, please feel free to send me a PM and I can provide you with some.