Marriages

You should arrange to meet with the priest at least six months before your proposed wedding date. The date and time of the marriage will be confirmed at this meeting.

is essential and required before a wedding can take place. You will be given more detailed information at your first meeting with the priest.

are required from all Christians planning to marry. Your certificate(s) as Roman Catholic(s) must be obtained from the church where you were baptized, and dated no more than 6 months prior to the wedding date. If one of you is a Baptized Christian of another denomination you may present your original Baptism certificate which will be photocopied. The original will be returned to you.

A Provincial government Marriage License must be obtained from any city hall municipal office at current cost. It must be obtained and is valid only within three months before the wedding. As soon as you obtain it, bring it to the parish office immediately. If only one of you goes to obtain it, you must have identification for both of you.

Your wedding will be published in the parish bulletin during the week prior to your wedding.

If you are not Roman Catholic you will be informed of the basic beliefs and practices of your Roman Catholic partner in order to assist both of you to understand better your commitment to each other. As a non-Catholic, you may discuss with the priest to what extent you may wish your own pastor or minister to take part in the wedding ceremony.

The months immediately preceding the marriage are a good time for you, as a couple, to engage in a spiritual renewal of your lives. God is the source and origin of love. His presence and help are needed for a successful marriage.
You should decide what part religion and worship will play in your future life together. As a Roman Catholic, you may wish to make a new start in your spiritual life at this time, by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation from a priest of your choice.

A wedding is a community event. The more people that are involved, the better. It is also a religious ceremony. Songs and ceremonies reflect the religious dimension of the marriage. Readers, ushers, ring bearers, singers, musicians are preferably faith-filled practising Christians. Children under four are not permitted to be part of the wedding party, since they still lack sufficient maturity.

If there is more than one wedding on the same day, they are scheduled two hours apart, with the last wedding beginning at 3 p.m.

should be sent to the Church in plenty of time. Arranging them is your responsibility (or someone appointed by you). When there are two weddings on the same day, we encourage the prospective brides to discuss the possibility of sharing. Beyond this, we take no responsibility.

BOWS: If you use pew bows, please attach with ribbon or masking tape – do not use scotch tape or any type of nails. Bows are to be removed immediately after the wedding.

Since you will discuss all the details of your liturgy with the priest two weeks before the wedding, the rehearsal itself will be brief. It usually takes place the evening before the wedding or at another time convenient to both the parish and the couple. Only those persons directly involved in the wedding ceremony need to attend. It is especially important that readers be in attendance.

Please be on time for both the rehearsal and the wedding. There are other Church Services that same day. Therefore, it is essential that your wedding be celebrated in the time allotted.

You will receive a booklet to assist you in choosing the greetings, prayers, scripture readings, etc., that will be part of your wedding liturgy.

Please arrange to meet with the Director of our Music Ministry to plan the music for your wedding liturgy. There are clear guidelines concerning music at your wedding. Please do not arrange for another organist, musician or singer without prior consultation with our Music Director.

Please ask your photographer to consult with the presiding priest 15 minutes prior to the ceremony. Professional photographers pride themselves on their ability to be unobtrusive. Wedding guests are asked not to take photos during the wedding liturgy. Couples and families should advise accordingly.

Two of them are scheduled when a Wedding Mass is celebrated. The parish will arrange this in advance. Therefore, if you plan to have your own Servers (family members, relatives or friends) who are Servers in Holy Rosary Parish or in another parish, you must inform your priest or the parish secretary at least one month before your wedding.