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Planning Your Wedding

Overview

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Step-by-step Instructions

Celebrating the Sacrament of Marriage in the Catholic Church is a joyous experience for the bride and groom, their families, their friends, and also the church. In order to facilitate this event, some planning is in order.

This simple list of instructions will guide you through the planning phase.

  1. Bride and Groom: Call your local parish office to make sure that you are registered members of the parish. (This is especially important now that we all move around the country so frequently!)
  2. Bride or Groom: Call your local parish office to make an appointment with the priest or pastoral associate that you would like to officiate at your wedding ceremony. (For simplification in this document, we will hereafter refer to him as "priest," even if it is a deacon or other pastoral associate.)
  3. Bride and Groom: Attend the intial meeting with the priest. If you chose to have any other priest officiate, you should also meet with him to clarify your arrangements.
  4. Bride and Groom: Gather the required documents.
  5. Bride and Groom: Plan the Liturgy. Chose the readings and prayers. The priest will guide you and provide many examples of pertinent readings.
  6. Bride or Groom: Meet with the church musical director to select the music.
  7. Bride or Groom: Meet with the church facilities director to arrange the use of the building.
  8. Meet with the church volunteer director to arrange for altar servers, Eucharistic ministers, greeters, parking attendants, or other volunteers you may need. Select a wedding booklet, write the details and have it printed. (Priest will assist you with this and provide samples.)