Wedding Photographers & Videographers at St. John the Evangelist Church (Connellsville), Connellsville

A wedding at St. John the Evangelist Church on West Crawford Avenue in Connellsville takes place in a church built by Slovak families who came to work in the coke and coal country. It has room for over 500 people, and its stained glass windows were refurbished along with new lighting, so your photographer has color on the walls and good light on the aisle for wedding photos. The video side is helped too: the same renovation added a sound system, something worth mentioning to your videographer when you plan where to record the vows.

Your wedding ceremony here is a Catholic one, and St. John's is one of four churches in the Yough Catholic Community of Connellsville and Dunbar. The parish also has a social hall with an updated kitchen; ask the parish office whether it can be used by couples, since the hall's availability isn't described online. Walk the church with your photographer before the day to choose a spot for a group picture as you come out the doors, and ask your videographer to plan the processional from the back of the aisle.

The partner parishes refer couples to their own marriage guidelines, which aren't posted online, so the parish office on South Second Street is your first call. Ask about open Saturdays, marriage preparation through the Diocese of Greensburg, and whether couples who aren't registered parishioners may hold their wedding here. It's also the place to ask about the photography and video guidelines your vendors should follow on your wedding day.

• Call the parish office to check your date and the steps for getting married here.
• Ask for the partner parish marriage guidelines and pass them to your photographer and videographer.
• Ask whether the social hall is available before you book a reception elsewhere.

A little about St. John the Evangelist Church

Families from the Spis and Saris regions of Slovakia founded the parish, which received its first pastor on September 19, 1895. The present church was completed in 1899 and blessed in November 1900. Its windows were refurbished during a renovation that began in 1984.