Marriage Preparation

(6 to 12 months before your wedding day)

Marriage Preparation takes place primarily through your parish (the local Catholic church you belong to). As soon as you are engaged, contact your parish and set up a meeting with your priest, deacon or wedding coordinator. In this meeting, you will learn about the preparation process, particular steps to take at your parish and what you can expect moving forward.

If you do not have a parish home, find one near you and get connected!

Because each couple is different and has different needs, please contact your parish at least 6 months before your desired wedding and before booking a reception venue.

(4-6 months before wedding)

Soon after your first meeting at your parish, you will also be invited to participate in a "premarital inventory." This inventory is not a compatibility test or relationship success indicator but rather a tool to help each of you learn more about yourselves and your relationship. Most inventories consist of a series of questions that help identify areas of strength and areas of growth in your relationship. 

Once you take the inventory, your parish will connect you with a married couple or other parish leader to help walk through and discuss your responses. Some parishes assign couples and start meetings before Step 3 below, and others start meetings after. 

Your parish will help guide this process for you.

(Finish at least 3 months before wedding)

A key component of Marriage Preparation is building the skills necessary for a successful marriage, as well as learning about the Catholic Church's teachings on Marriage. To accomplish this, all couples participate in the Joy-Filled Marriage program, which also includes specific formation in Natural Family Planning.

To have enough time to complete preparations for your wedding, we recommend all couples complete the Joy-Filled Marriage program at least 3 months before their wedding date.

We offer multiple ways for couples to complete the Joy-Filled Marriage program:
 

Weekend Retreats

Step away from the hustle and bustle to focus on the intimacy and joy you want in your marriage. Couples spend a weekend together hearing the Joy-Filled Marriage program in-person along with opportunities for deeper discussion, Mass, Reconciliation and more. 

Cost: $350 per couple
 

Online Marriage Prep

Couples register for an online course version of Joy-Filled Marriage. This is self-paced and takes about 8 hours to complete through watching videos and couple dialogue. An online workbook is included; printed workbooks may be ordered at registration.

Cost: $150 per couple

Retiros de Preparación Matrimonial

Esta experiencia de un día les dará la oportunidad para conocer a parejas casadas dinámicas, quienes compartirán sobre el significado del matrimonio, la comunicación en pareja, el poderoso regalo de la sexualidad, las finanzas y otros temas, ofreciéndoles consejos para tener un matrimonio saludable.

Este retiro es totalmente en español.
 

Parish-Based Preparation

Some parishes offer an in-person Joy-Filled Marriage program. This might happen through small groups of couples learning and discussing together, or through couple-to-couple meetings with a married couple from the parish. If interested, ask your parish if they offer this kind of formation.

(2-3 months before wedding) 

Creating time to plan your wedding liturgy is a beautiful way to intentionally include the Lord in your wedding and ensure preparedness and peace on your big day. Once you complete Steps 1-3, your parish will schedule a meeting to go over your choices for readings and music, and plan your rehearsal.

Find resources to help you plan a beautiful Catholic wedding by clicking this link.

(0-2 weeks before wedding) 

Sacraments (like Marriage!) infuse God's divine life into our souls. In our fallen nature, each of us (in large and small ways) falls short of the life God calls us to live, weakening that life of grace within us. To help restore and strengthen that divine life, the Church gives us the sacrament of Reconciliation. As you approach your wedding day, we encourage you to take advantage of this great gift of God's mercy and prepare your soul to receive all the graces poured out in your marriage. 

Check with your parish about their confession times, or find other times here. And if it's been a while, never fear! Check out these helpful tools to help you prepare.

Congratulations! You made it! We are so happy for you and are praying for both of you, your families and your marriage on your big day. 

Once the wedding is over, the real work of marriage begins. You'll quickly discover that while the grace of marriage is real, it still takes a lot of work. Don't let Marriage Preparation be the end of working on and deepening your love with each other. 

Your parish and the archdiocese provide several ways to help support your marriage. See our Marriage Enrichment and Support page for additional details.