Weddings

Weddings at Transfiguration

The church acquired fame in the mid 20th century for the thousands of weddings it hosted. Every Saturday in the 1930s and 40s—and often on weekdays—couples would gather in the garden, awaiting their turn to be married in the Holy Family Chapel. The Rector in that era would marry as many as seven couples a day. We invite you to learn more about our current policies, traditions, and becoming a part of our "Little Family".

The Space

Tucked behind a lovely English garden with a fountain, Transfiguration is a neo-Gothic church rich with architectural detail. There are two spaces in which you may choose to be married:

The Holy Family Chapel is a quaint room paneled with dark wood that seats up to 50 people and is appropriate for smaller weddings. The altar piece is a painted depiction of the betrothal of Mary and Joseph. It is in the Holy Family Chapel that thousands of couples in the post-war years became married, making the Little Church famous for weddings.

The Main Church is a larger, more opulent space that houses our magnificent C.B. Fisk organ and will seat up to 350 people, making it ideal for a traditional wedding. The church interior is composed of deep mahogany pews and ceiling beams and lined with colorful stained glass windows. Gilded paint decorates the walls at the altar, and the aisles are made of mosaic marble tile.

You are invited to come to the church for a visit and see which space best suits you. The main church is open on Sundays after the 11:00 am Mass until about 3 pm. If Sunday is not convenient, contact the parish office during the business week and schedule a time for the church to be unlocked for your viewing. The office number is 212-684-6770.

Guidelines

The tradition of openness at Transfiguration continues to this day—there are just a few requirements for marriage at Transfiguration. The national canons of the Episcopal Church require that one party is a baptized Christian, and that the couple partake in pre-marital meetings with the Rector. Divorced persons are welcome to remarry in the Episcopal Church. The Rector must obtain permission from the Episcopal Bishop of New York to perform the marriage, a simple process that involves a few sheets of paperwork and proof of divorce.

You do not need to be a member of Transfiguration to be married here, though you are most welcome to join us on any Sunday. You do not need to be a resident of New York City (or even of the United States), but you will need a New York State marriage license. Since we are an Episcopal Church, we use the Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage in the Book of Common Prayer as the liturgy.

Making Arrangements

The first step to planning a wedding at Transfiguration is to email our Parish Administrator with your specific request (your names, the dates and times you are interested in having your wedding here). Questions about the liturgy, scheduling, fees, obtaining a marriage license, music, flowers and other questions about the service, will be answered during the process. Please send your email to parishoffice@littlechurch.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Little Family

We still keep in contact with couples to this day as part of our Little Family community. Each year, we send a card to all those married here on their anniversaries. Most of our visitors throughout the week are relatives of our Little Family members. If you or your loved ones were married here and would like to receive to receive a card, please email the mailing address and anniversary month to parishoffice@littlechurch.org and you will be added to our "Little Family" list.

Celebration of Love

Celebration of Love, a collection of digital video biographies of the Little Families, is a project of the Development Committee. These videos feature many parishioners of ours who also belong to our Little Family community.

1. Click here to view the first video, which includes the highlights of the first few videos in this collection. If you would like to see the full videos of each of our couples' stories, please click their names below to view.
   1. Susan and Richard
      Susan often blesses the parish with her musical talents by playing the violin at our services and special concerts. Richard blessed the parish by serving on our historical society.
   2. Paul and Les
      Paul is one of our regular lectors and also served on our vestry.
   3. Christina and Adam
      Christina is a member of our vestry, one of our usual lectors, and the co-founder of our newly founded Houghton Hall Arts Community. Adam and Christina both volunteer their musical gifts at some of our Sunday services and at our annual Shrove Tuesday talent show.
   4. Rudy and Caroline
      Rudy was one of our wardens, and Caroline often leads our morning and evening prayer services. They both served as acolytes at our Sunday services.
2. Click here to view the second video, which includes the last few videos in this collection, featuring more parishioners of ours. If you would like to see the full videos of each of our couples' stories, please click their names below to view.
   1. Peter and Rob
      Peter and Rob were one of the first same sex couples to be married in the Diocese of New York. Peter is one of our wardens, ushers, and lectors, and Rob is our MC who coordinates our acolytes, as well as serves as an acolyte.
   2. Missi and Matei
      Missi and Matei became parishioners through their recent wedding here. Matei blesses the parish with his musical talents through our concert series.