Planning Your Catholic Wedding

Congratulations on your engagement! Your parish will be happy to help you plan your wedding. This website can help, too, by giving you an idea of what to expect. The following "Table of Contents" will help you find the information you need to plan your wedding.

1. Getting engaged

• Are you ready for marriage?
  
• Can you be married in the Catholic Church?
  
• The engagement: A time of spiritual preparation
  
• Blessing your engagement
  

2. Contacting your parish

• Choosing a parish for your wedding
  
• Who to contact
  
• The interview
  
• Fees
  
• Forms and paperwork
  

3. Preparing for a lifelong marriage

• Marriage preparation requirements
  
• Pre-marriage inventories
  
• Pre-Cana and Engaged Encounter
  
• Natural Family Planning (NFP)
  

4. Setting the wedding date

• Dates to avoid
  
• Days on which you may not choose your own readings
  
• Dates to consider
  

5. Choosing the form of your wedding

• Who will preside at the wedding?
  
• Rite for Celebrating Marriage During Mass
  
• Rite for Celebrating Marriage Outside Mass
  
• Rite for Celebrating Marriage Between a Catholic and an Unbaptized Person
  

6. Choosing Scripture readings

• Review your options for the readings
  
• Choose qualified readers (lectors) to proclaim the Word of God
  
• What is God saying to you in the readings?
  
• The text of the readings suggested by the Rite of Marriage
  

7. Choosing wedding music

• Work with your parish music minister
  
• Three criteria for choosing Catholic wedding music
  
• Find musicians
  
• Decide when music will be used in the wedding liturgy
  
• Choose songs, hymns, and other music
  

8. Choosing vows

• Can we write our own Catholic wedding vows?
• Before the vows: Stating your intentions
• Choose from two versions of the vows
• Decide whether to memorize the vows
• Decide whether to have a song or acclamation after the vows

9. Choosing roles for family and friends

• Bride and Groom
  
• Presider
  
• Witnesses
  
• The wedding party
  
• Assembly
  
• Ushers
  
• Musicians
  
• Lectors (readers)
  
• Eucharistic ministers
  
• Gift bearers
  
• Altar servers
  
• Flower girls and ring bearers
  

10. Choosing other liturgical elements

• Greeting the guests
• Seating
  
• Greeting the assembly
  
• The wedding procession
  
• General intercessions
  
• Prayers and blessings
  
• Unity candle
  
• Prayer before the Virgin Mary
  

11. Creating a wedding program for your guests

• Plan your wedding first
  
• Decide who will create and print your Catholic wedding programs
  
• Create a wedding program that encourages participation
  
• Don't forget the service music
  
• Catholic wedding program templates
  

12. Dealing with the details

• Decorations
  
• Flowers
  
• Dress
  
• Photographers and videographers
  
• Payment and fees
  

13. The honeymoon and beyond...

• The honeymoon
  
• Resources for "happily ever after"