Filming a wedding at St. Ignatius Martyr

St. Ignatius Martyr in South Austin has some of the most detailed photography rules of any church we film in, and they are posted on the parish website. Read them with your photographer and videographer before you finalize a timeline, because they shape almost every decision about the ceremony.

Hero photo: St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church

The rules for cameras

The parish asks that photographers and videographers never inhibit or distract from the liturgy. In practice that means:

• No flash or other bright lights during the ceremony, and no additional lighting.
• Camera sounds silenced.
• Stay behind the people at all times and do not block sight lines; roaming is strongly discouraged.
• No extra microphones at the pulpit or ambo.
• No drones anywhere on the parish campus.
• No equipment in an aisle, and extension cords cannot be taped down or laid in access areas.

A short window afterward

Posed photos happen before or after the ceremony, and post-wedding photography cannot exceed 30 minutes. The parish schedules Saturday weddings at 11:00 and 1:30, and a 1:30 wedding must have the church cleared by 3:00. Ceremonies have to start and end on time, and everyone in the wedding party should arrive 30 minutes early.

On the June wedding we filmed, the Mass ran 2:00 to 3:00, and formal photos covered only the couple, wedding party and immediate family, inside and then outside the church. The larger group photos with families were scheduled at the reception venue.

Music and decor

That couple split the music cleanly. A string group played the prelude, the processionals and the recessional alone, and the parish musicians handled everything inside the Mass, including the psalm, offertory and communion hymns.

The planning page lists what is not allowed: dropping flower petals, rice or birdseed, aisle runners, releases of butterflies or birds, and bells, whistles, balloons or bubbles before, during or after. During Advent, Christmas, Lent, the first two weeks of Easter and some feast weekends, no extra decorations are allowed, and any arrangements stay in the church all weekend.

Getting there and moving on

The church opened to vendors at 1:00 for our 2:00 ceremony. The coordinator set programs, the welcome sign and the guest book, and the florist placed altar arrangements. The bride arrived by shuttle at 1:10 and put on her gown at the church. Two shuttles left at 3:30 and reached the LBJ Wildflower Center at 3:50.

A real day here

A June Saturday we filmed here (June 2026)

Sample timelines by season

Church ceremony times stay fairly fixed, so the season mostly changes what happens after you leave St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church. Here is how the rest of the day moves with sunset. Treat the times as a starting point.