A Catholic wedding on Long Island happens indoors, in a church, by the diocese’s own rule. Here are the parishes that publish their lead times and fees, and the churches that marry non-members.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre covers Nassau and Suffolk. Its marriage page says Catholics celebrate marriage in the parish church of the bride or the groom, and that they are not permitted to be married out of doors. It also says “Tents, gazebos, bubbles, etc. are not permissible places for Catholics to be married in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.” Diocese of Rockville Centre.
A catering hall chapel is possible only in one case: when a Catholic marries an unbaptized person, the diocese says permission may be granted for a home, an interfaith chapel or a catering hall chapel. Even then the wedding takes place indoors. So a Catholic ceremony on a venue’s lawn or under its tent is not an option here, whatever the venue’s brochure shows.
The diocese’s own Pre-Cana registration describes an all day Saturday program, held once a month, with breakfast and lunch included. Registration is $200, including a $25 non refundable processing fee. Diocesan Pre-Cana registration. Its faith formation office says to complete marriage preparation 6 to 12 months before the wedding. DRVC marriage preparation.
Parishes run their own versions too. Our Lady of Lourdes offers a one day Saturday class, while St. Lawrence in Sayville runs several sessions in a married couple’s home and says it offers no one day program. St. Christopher in Baldwin describes weekend sessions. Ask your own parish which it accepts.
Published lead times run from six months, at Babylon, Massapequa Park, Sayville and Manhasset, to eight months at Port Jefferson and twelve at St. Agnes Cathedral. St. Mary’s in Manhasset says plainly to secure the church date before you sign the reception contract. That is the order to do it in everywhere.
| Business | What the parish says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cathedral of St. AgnesRockville Centre | Asks for arrangements at least 12 months ahead. The fee is $700 for parishioners and $2,000 for non-parishioners with permission, plus $350 to the music ministry either way. Non-parishioners book exactly one year out, with a letter of permission from their own pastor. Read on stagnescathedral.org. All couples attend Pre-Cana. For couples with no parish connection, a Mass is possible only if they invite a priest to offer it. | first party |
| North Fork Catholic parishesMattituck, Cutchogue, Southold, Greenport | Four parishes under one pastor: Our Lady of Good Counsel, Our Lady of Ostrabrama, St. Patrick’s and St. Agnes. The requested offering is $1,000, or $750 if you or your parents or grandparents live in the parish, plus a $350 deposit returned if the wedding runs on time. Read on olochurch.org. The pamphlet lists fixed ceremony times at each church, and bans tossed petals, rice, aisle runners and alcohol on church grounds. Non-parishioners need a letter from their home parish. | first party |
| St. Joseph ParishBabylon | “All Catholics must produce an updated Baptismal Certificate that has been issued recently from the Church of Baptism (that is within six months from the day of your wedding).” Read on stjosephsbabylon.org. It also asks for an Affidavit of Freedom to Marry, and online Pre-Cana at least six months before the wedding. | first party |
| Our Lady of LourdesMassapequa Park | Asks couples to call the rectory at least six months before the wedding, then complete a one day Pre-Cana class held on Saturdays, open to couples from any parish and to interfaith couples. Read on ourladyoflourdesmp.org. | first party |
| Infant JesusPort Jefferson | “Marriage Ceremonies and Nuptial Masses can be celebrated either in our historic Church or Chapel. Please call the rectory at least eight months in advance to make all necessary arrangements.” Read on infantjesus.org. | first party |
| St. Lawrence the MartyrSayville | Asks couples to contact the rectory at least six months ahead. Its Pre-Cana is several evening sessions in the home of a married couple from the parish, and its FAQ says it offers no one day program. Read on stlawrencesayville.org. | first party |
| Church of Saint MaryManhasset | “Please note, it is essential that the couple secure a date with the parish before signing a contract for the reception.” Read on saintmarysmanhasset.org. It asks couples to meet a priest or deacon at least six months before the wedding. | first party |
| Church of Saint AnneGarden City | “A wedding date may only be discussed after an initial interview.” Read on stannesgc.org. Its own marriage preparation program runs once a year, in the winter months. | first party |
If you are a Rockville Centre parishioner marrying somewhere else, or you are marrying here while your home parish is elsewhere, the ceremony is the easy part. The file is the part that goes wrong. The diocese publishes the procedure as Form D, Marriage Outside the Diocese, revision 5/26, and it is addressed to your priest or deacon rather than to you.
The wedding file it asks for is specific, and two items on the list have clocks on them. Baptism certificates must be issued within six months of the wedding date, so a certificate you collected a year ago will be rejected. A Pre-Cana certificate, or other proof of preparation, has to be in the file rather than promised.
“A standard wedding file must include: Letter from the pastor giving permission for the couple to marry outside the parish. Name and address where the wedding will take place. Name and address of diocese where the wedding file will be sent. Affidavits of Freedom to Marry or Banns stated in pastor letter. Pre-Nuptial Investigational Form (PNI). Sacramental certificates for Baptism issued within six months of the wedding date. Pre-Cana certificate or other proof that the parties have been prepared for Catholic marriage.” Form D, Diocese of Rockville Centre
If one of you is not Catholic, the permission is a separate step and it has to be granted in advance. Form D says a dispensation or permission must be granted before the wedding where a Catholic intends to marry an unbaptized person or a non-Catholic Christian, and it names the Petition for Mixed Marriage as the document to complete. A convalidation of a civil marriage needs the civil licence in the file too.
Then the instruction that causes the most trouble, because it is counterintuitive. The file does not go to the church where you are marrying.
“Please send the completed file to the Chancellor's Office of the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The file will be sent from our Diocese with the nihil obstat to the Domestic/International Chancery, who will then forward it to the parish. Please do not send the file directly to the parish where the marriage is scheduled to take place. In the past, dioceses have rejected files that by-pass our Chancery and were sent directly to the parish where the wedding was to be celebrated.” Form D
There is also a cost, published as a suggested offering toward shipping: $75 for a domestic wedding and $150 for an international one, the latter sent by express shipping with tracking. That is on top of the parish offering and the Pre-Cana fee, and nobody mentions it until the file is being assembled.
Two practical notes. Ask your pastor to start the file early enough that a six month baptism certificate will still be current on the wedding date, which in practice means ordering certificates after the file opens rather than before. And if your ceremony is in another country, the express shipping line is a hint about how long the chain takes: your parish, the Chancellor's Office here, the receiving chancery, then the parish abroad. The diocese's own marriage page is where the current forms live.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s instructions, republished on St. Nicholas Church’s site in West Babylon, say the koumbaros or koumbara must prove membership in good standing, and that the non Orthodox partner must be baptized in the name of the Trinity. Archdiocese instructions.
The same instructions list days when no weddings are performed: 14 September, 13 to 25 December, 5 and 6 January, Great Lent and Holy Week, Pascha, Pentecost, 1 to 15 August and 29 August. Check your date against that list before you book a hall.
| Business | What the church says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Saint Paraskevi Greek Orthodox Shrine ChurchGreenlawn | Publishes a $750 sacrament fee for non-stewards, plus a $125 chanter fee, a $100 caretaker fee and a $150 organist fee if needed. Reservations are made in person, with the koumbaro’s baptismal certificate and a letter of good standing from the koumbaro’s home parish. Read on stparaskevi.org. Florals are limited to two arrangements no taller than three feet, including the stand. | first party |
| Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox CathedralSouthampton | “In order to schedule a wedding, contact the Church office and schedule an appointment with Father Constantine.” Read on dormitionhamptons.org. | first party |
Two historic East End churches marry non-members: First Presbyterian in East Hampton, which prints every fee, and Old Whalers’ Church in Sag Harbor. Saint Ann’s in Sayville and Roslyn Presbyterian marry members only, or members of another congregation.
| Business | What the church says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First Presbyterian Church of East HamptonEast Hampton | “Weddings at the First Presbyterian Church of East Hampton are open to both members and nonmembers, in accordance with the Presbyterian Church (USA) Book of Order.” Read on fpceh.org. Its 2025 booklet prints every fee line: sanctuary use is $3,000 for non-members, the minister $900, the organist $400 and the bell choir $1,000, with a $300 deposit. Each line is listed separately, and we have not added them up. | first party |
| Old Whalers’ ChurchSag Harbor | “Church membership is not required and people of all faiths and sexual orientation are welcome.” Read on oldwhalerschurch.org. It has a wedding coordinator. Fees are not published on the page. | first party |
| Saint Ann’s Episcopal ChurchSayville | “To be married at Saint Ann's, all couples must become active church members.” Read on saint-anns.org. No weddings in Lent or Advent. Same sex couples marry under the Witness and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant rite. | first party |
| Roslyn Presbyterian ChurchRoslyn | “The Church sanctuary can accommodate 150 guests (though parking is limited)” Read on roslynpresbyterianchurch.com. It books weddings for its own members or active members of another congregation. | first party |
For a non Catholic ceremony, seven Long Island venues name an on site chapel on their own sites. See the chapel list on the faith and cultural page. Officiants who will marry you at the venue are on our officiants page, and the license rules are in our marriage license guide.
A priest or deacon with the parish's delegation is on New York's list of people who may solemnise a marriage, so the civil side of a church wedding is usually the simple part. It gets complicated when the celebrant is visiting clergy or the ceremony is outside a parish. Who may legally solemnise a marriage in New York.
No. The Diocese of Rockville Centre says Catholics are not permitted to be married out of doors, and that tents and gazebos are not permissible places for Catholics to marry.
Only with permission, and only when a Catholic marries an unbaptized person, per the diocese. Otherwise the wedding takes place in a parish church.
Two parishes print fees. St. Agnes Cathedral charges $700 for parishioners or $2,000 for non-parishioners, plus $350 for music. The North Fork parishes request a $1,000 offering, or $750 for parish families, plus a refundable $350 deposit.
We read the labeled facts table on every one of the 164 venue profiles on this site and sorted each venue by what its row actually says, not by its tag. Every rule and fee here is quoted or restated from the diocese’s, parish’s or church’s own website, and each row links the page where we read it. We list separate fees separately and never add them into a total. First party means the venue’s own website or rate card. Marketplace means The Knot, WeddingWire, Zola, Wedding Spot, Eventective, PartySlate or Here Comes The Guide, and the row names which one.
Sources were read in September 2026. Nothing here is added, rounded, averaged or estimated. Being on this page is free, and no venue paid for its place. A venue that sees an error can send a correction.