Getting Married

Planning your Wedding

 

wedding ringsCongratulations on your decision to get married in the Catholic Church.

It is our wish that your wedding day will be a memorable and enjoyable occasion as you set out on your wonderful journey together.  

 When getting married you have two sets of requirements:

(a) The requirements of the Catholic Church.

 (b) The civil requirements of the State.

 

The Church requires that as a couple you do the following :

1. Contact the Priest at least 12 months before the proposed wedding date.

2. Book the Marriage Preparation Course at least 12 months before the proposed wedding date.  You can do so at the address below.

Cavan Accord,

 Kilmore Diocesan Pastoral Centre,

Cullies,

 Cavan.

 Tel. 049 4375004.

For further information see  www.accord.ie or www.kilmorediocese.ie or  http://www.gettingmarried.ie

Please note Avalon DVD is not acceptable  A DVD on marriage preparation is not accepted in place of a pre-marriage course. 

3. Obtain the Required Documentation. (You get these usually in your native parish.)

These include

  • Certificate of Baptism
  • Certificate of Confirmation
  • Letters of Freedom
  • Marriage preparation certificate
  • Permissions and dispensations where applicable

4. Complete the Pre-Nuptial Enquiry Form. This normally involves a visit to your own parish priest.

5. Decide the Form of Marriage Ceremony. You can choose to celebrate your marriage ceremony as part of a nuptial mass or you can choose to celebrate your marriage cermony without mass.  

 

 Civil Requirements under the Civil Registration Act 2004:

Under the Act, which came into effect on 5th November 2007, all couples planning a marriage cermony in Ireland are required to register their intent of marriage with the State at least three calendar months prior to their wedding date.This is currently done by setting up an appointment with the Civil Registration Service Registrar and attending in person- currently, couples must telephone an office or call in person to set up an appointment. From the 12th November 2012 the Civil Registration Service is launching a new online appointment booking system. This new and additional access channel will allow couples to book notification of intention to marry appointments in any Civil Registration Service office around the country provided they have access to the internet.

When booking their appointment couples will be informed of what they need to bring, how long their appointments will last, and this will all be done online.

For couples where one or both parties are resident abroad, they should contact the office by telephone to book their appointment.

To notify the Registrar of you intention to marry you may book a Marriage Notification appointment at www.crsappointments.ie

Couples are obliged to take full responsibility for the civil registration of their marriage. 

They must:

1. Meet the Civil Registrar not later than three months before the date of the  wedding.  Prior to this meeting they must know that the church is available and the name of the priest who will solemnise the marriage.  The priest must be on the "List of Solemnisers" submitted by the Bishop to the Registrar-General.

2. The couple should bring the following documents to the Registrar:

  • Photo identity (preferably a passport or driving licence)
  • Names and dates of birth of witnesses
  • Name of the church where they intend to be married
  • Name of the priest (solemniser) who will officiate at the marriage
  • If either party had been previously married, they must provide the Registrar with an original divorce decree or death certificate.

3. Receive the Marriage registration Form (MRF) from the Registrar - without this document the marriage cannot take place.

4. Bring the MRF to the priest solemniser so that he can check that the details are correct.  If incorrect, the couple should revert to the Registrar as soon as possible for an amended MRF.

5. Make a verbal declaration of no civil impediment to the priest solemniser not more than two days before the wedding.  In practice, this will be done at the start of the wedding ceremony by the bride and groom.

6. After the wedding the couple must, together with the two witnesses and the priest solemniser, sign the MRF.

7. Return the completed MRF to the Registrar within one month of the marriage.

Further information about the civil requirements may be found at www.groireland.ie. or www.civilregistrationservice.ie