Marriage Preparation
Congratulations on your engagement!
In God’s providence you have found each other and are choosing to give yourselves to each other in love. Jesus Christ has raised the love of man and woman to the dignity of a Sacrament, a sign of the love of Christ for his Church. St. Mary’s offers a variety of paths to help you prepare for your Christian marriage, to become that sign of the love of Christ for his Church.
Usually, the formation and pre-marital preparation process takes at least six months. Please don’t put down deposits on reception venues, etc. until you have met with the someone in the parish to establish the date of your marriage. To begin your preparation, please fill out and submit the form below and one of our marriage prep team members will contact you shortly to set up your first meeting.
God who has loved you into life and guided your footsteps until now has much to teach you in the process of preparing for the sacrament of marriage. Open you hearts to him and invite Jesus Christ to guide you in this journey.
***If you are not engaged yet but are discerning marriage with your significant other, we recommend that you look into our class for dating couples.***
**Please note: Some couples, where one or both live out of town, choose to get married at St. Mary’s do preparation somewhere else. Preparation and the ceremony can take place in different places. If you will receive preparation elsewhere but want to marry at St. Mary's, please fill out the form below.
Photos by @localembers
Marriage Prep Checklist
Check out our Director of Marriage Preparation’s article on the Things Catholics Need to Know Before Getting Married.
Fill out the marriage preparation request form at the bottom of this page before completing anything else.
Meet with a marriage prep team member to complete the Pre-nuptial Questionnaire.
Complete your Pre-Marital Inventory.
Meet with you assigned Sponsor Couple or attend a marriage preparation retreat.
Catholics must obtain a new baptism certificate from the parish where you were baptized. (This must be issued no sooner than 6 months prior to the date of the wedding).
Non-Catholics, present proof of your baptism (if any).
You will receive a certificate for a discounted rate for the marriage license from the priest or deacon and then no sooner than 90 days before the wedding obtain your marriage license from a county clerk. (Time frame may vary for weddings in a different state.)
Set up a date with the priest or deacon to plan the wedding ceremony.