Catholic Wedding Ceremony

Locations

Weddings must take place in a recognised religious building. The doors must be unlocked at all times and the ceremony can take place at any time between 8am and 6pm.

Dates

You can only officially set the date one year in advance. It is at the minister’s discretion to make a provisional booking.

Legal Requirements

You must be of different sexes You must be over the age of 16 (you will need written parental consent if you are under 18) You must be free to marry and cannot be related.

Documents

When you visit the minister you will need to take a birth certificate or a passport. If you are under 18 you will need to take written consent by you parent or guardian. If you have been married before you will need to take either the Decree Absolute or death certificate of your former spouse.

Witnesses

You must have two witnesses to your marriage.

Obtaining Permission for a Catholic Wedding Ceremony

Marriage by banns is the most common way of obtaining permission to marry in a Catholic wedding ceremony ; a special licence is only for use in exceptional circumstances.

Marriage by Banns If one or both of you live in the parish where the ceremony will be held your minister will read your banns on three Sundays before the wedding. The reading of the banns must be within three months of the date of the ceremony. This public declaration gives people the opportunity to raise any objections to the marriage. There is a fee to have your banns read.

Marriage by Common Licence This form is used when either bride or groom is only resident in a parish temporarily. You will need to apply for the necessary licence.

Marriage by Special Licence This is granted by the Archbishop of Canterbury in exceptional circumstances only when marriage by banns or common law cannot take place.

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The Ceremony

Before
When the processional music starts the best man and groom take their places at the top of the aisle. The bride makes her way down the aisle holding her fathers right arm. The chief bridesmaid, bridesmaids, flower girls or page boys follow. Traditionally the bride’s veil is lifted when she reaches her groom.

During
Once the bride has joined her groom the vicar will start. Church ceremonies usually take about 40 minutes. The words vary depending on which version of the marriage ceremony you choose. The bride and groom are asked if they are free to marry before they are asked if they will marry each other. The vows are made and the rings exchanged. Hymns, readings and a sermon can then follow.

After
The bride takes her husband’s right arm to walk back down the aisle. They are followed by the bridesmaid and best man, the mother of the bride with the father of the groom, the father of the bride with the mother of the groom and the attendants.