Having seen some of these over the top weddings personally I can understand why the church building is valued that way.
First somebody is not thinking when setting the price. (cost of the a/c, lights, sound system, is the custodian included or is that seperate?) Further, i have never seen the priest recieve SOME form of gratuity. Also the priest is a notary public, this means their fees are set by statute. (ie $20 if they want to charge)
The wedding may also have to deal with a church caretaker (man or woman) who are less than pleasant and treat the wedding party as cattle in “their” church.
Finally, churches require ONE of the bride or groom be a member of the parish so that is an additional fee on top of the other fee.
Some churches also double book. One wedding in the am one wedding in the pm.
Sorry, if either the bride or groom are actual, contributing members of the parish, the parish really shouldn't be charging for stuff like electric, A/C, etc.
Providing some sort of payment for actual folks who work for a living by providing services for weddings, and who are not paid by the parish (i.e., the money in the bride/groom's weekly envelope), or who are paid very little by the parish in anticipation of earning a few extra dollars through weddings, etc., is perfectly reasonable.
But for what is someone putting money in their envelope if not to support the priest and the physical plant of the parish, so that it may be available for the administration of the sacraments?
Our priests live well. In my parish, our two priests share a house that is 5,000 sq ft. Their food is paid-for. The parish pays for domestic help. The parish pays for office help. They receive a modest car allowance, health insurance, and a modest salary. They have no families to support. Why do we maintain them in this lifestyle if not to perform the sacraments, as needed?
I completely understand if the couple to be married are not members of the parish. Our parish church is rather beautiful, and many couples want to marry there, even from far away. In that case, some sort of modest fee is appropriate.
But for parishioners??
Parishioners support their parish precisely so that the parish has the funds to maintain the parish for the primary purpose of administering the sacraments.
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