CONGRATULATIONS! If you are reading this page, it is probably because you have just got engaged, or you are about to get engaged. What a beautiful moment – enjoy it!
We will help you on each step of the journey towards your wedding day. To be married in a Catholic church either the bride or groom needs to be a baptised Catholic. You also need to live in the parish, or have a strong connection to it (perhaps you were brought up here). If you are getting married abroad, or in another part of the UK, but your main home is within the parish, you will need paperwork from here – please do get in touch at least six months before you are due to be married.
To help you prepare for your wedding is a great joy. Simply contact us by phone or email, and we will get things under way. You will meet with Fr Dominic three or four times, to talk about different aspects of the marriage, and you will also have a day with several other engaged couples, considering aspects of marriage that it helps to talk about with people who are also getting married, and led by people with great experience of supporting engaged and married couples. That support continues after marriage, of course – have a look at the Marriage Care website for all sorts of advice and help
It may be that you already have children and think that means you can’t be married in a Catholic church. It doesn’t – you are welcome here. Or it may be that your intended husband or wife practices a different faith, or does not have a faith, and you or they are worried we might ask them to convert to Catholicism. We won’t. We’ll ask them to support you in bringing any children up as Catholics, and above all we will simply welcome you both. As we journey towards your wedding day there will be many opportunities for you to ask any questions that you have.
There are a couple of essential practicalities:
Please give at least six months notice, and please contact us before you confirm any dates with a wedding venue. This will avoid the disappointment of the church already being booked, or any other complications. We need six months notice as there is a fair bit of paperwork and preparation. If your wedding is a year, or even 18 months away, it is not too early to get in touch.
If one or both of you have been married before, or if there are other aspects of your relationship that could mean you cannot be married in a Catholic church, please contact Fr Dominic by email or phone, via the parish office. Everyone’s circumstances are unique, and sometimes very personal; you will be listened to carefully and gently, and you will be helped in every possible way.
Once again, congratulations! We look forward to celebrating with you.