1. Getting engaged

2. Contacting your parish

3. Preparing for a lifelong marriage

4. Setting the wedding date

5. Choosing the form of your wedding

6. Choosing Scripture readings

7. Choosing wedding music

8. Choosing vows

9. Choosing roles for family and friends

10. Choosing other liturgical elements

11. Creating a Catholic wedding program

12. Dealing with the details

13. The honeymoon and beyond...

 

 Planning Your Catholic Wedding____

Getting engaged

So you're engaged to be married (or thinking about it, anyway). What happens next?

 

Contents: Are you ready for marriage? Can you be married in the Catholic Church? The engagement: A time of spiritual preparation Blessing your engagement For more information Books:  101 Questions to Ask Before You Get Engaged

 

Are you ready for marriage?

If you aren't engaged yet, but are thinking about it, you may want to take a closer look at whether you are ready for marriage. Various books and online resources can help you make a decision. ForYourMarriage.org, an initiative of the U.S. Catholic bishops, offers a personality audit as well as "Ten Important Research Findings on Marriage and Choosing a Marriage Partner," along with other tools (see links below, under "For more information").

 

Can you be married in the Catholic Church?

The Church presumes that baptized Catholics have a right to receive the sacraments, unless there is something that would prevent them from doing so (an "impediment"). If one of you is Catholic and this is the first time both of you will be married, then it is very likely that you can be married in the Catholic Church.

 

If you still have questions about whether you can be married in the Church, check out these articles:

• Can we get married in the Catholic Church if we are living together (cohabitating)?

• Can we get married in the Catholic Church if one of us is divorced?

• Can we get married by a justice of the peace in a civil ceremony and then have a Catholic wedding?

• Can I have a Catholic wedding even if I do not attend Mass?

• What are the rules and requirements for a valid Catholic wedding?

 

Even if you meet the minimum requirements for receiving the sacrament of Matrimony, however, the Church requires a period of preparation for marriage.

 

The engagement: A time of spiritual preparation

Although the wedding industry promotes the engagement period as a time to prepare details of the wedding and honeymoon, the Church encourages couples to use this time to prepare for a lifelong marriage. For Catholic couples, the engagement period is a time to deepen faith, especially personal and interpersonal spirituality (Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage #17). Most Catholic dioceses require couples to complete a formal marriage preparation program for this purpose. But the Church encourages couples to prepare for marriage in other ways, too.

 

Why is spiritual preparation for marriage so important? Simply put, your love for one another will be stronger, deeper, and more enduring when it is rooted in the One who is the source of all love. When couples enter the sacrament of marriage, their love for one another is "caught up in" divine love; it reflects and becomes a part of Christ's love for humanity (Familiaris Consortio #13). Preparing for marriage spiritually helps couples become more open and receptive to this spiritual dimension of marriage. Learning to love and be loved by God helps Christian spouses love one another more and more deeply—and that makes for a stronger, happier marriage.

 

Blessing your engagement

Blessing your engagement is a good way to start. “The betrothal of a young Christian couple . . . is a special occasion for their families, who should celebrate it together with prayer and a special rite,” says the Church’s official Book of Blessings (#195). That book contains the Blessing of an Engaged Couple, which may be led by a priest, deacon, lay minister, or one of your parents. Your parish will have a copy of the Book of Blessings, or you can find the blessing online (see "For more information"), or in Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers (see the "Books" section below).

Contacting your parish . . .