Guidelines to Observe in Preparing Your Wedding
Booking the Church
You can request a date for your wedding by contacting one of the priests of the Parish.
The bookings are on a first come first serve basis. The priest will write in the date, church and time of the marriage. In order to avoid confusion this should be done personally and not over the ‘phone. If the date is later changed or the wedding is cancelled you should come back and have the booking cancelled. This will leave the date free for someone else.
Marriage
The Civil Registrar
Anybody intending to marry in the Republic of Ireland must give three months notice to the Registrar for the District in which the marriage is to take place. This notice must be given at least three months before the marriage. If you forget to give this notice three months in advance then you will have to go to the Circuit Family Court for an exemption. The Registrar is located at Adelaide House, Adelaide Street, Cork.
Notice to the Priests
The woman who intends to marry must notify the priest of the parish in which she lives at least three months before the wedding. The man must also notify the priest of the parish in which he lives at least three months before the wedding. This is so because it is they who will be completing the two sets of pre-marriage papers.
Pre-Marriage Course
Each couple must do a pre-marriage course. It is recommended that you book a course at least six months before the date of the wedding. Pre-marriage courses accepted in the Diocese of Cloyne are given by ACCORD. They can be booked online at Accord.ie
Marriage Papers
You will need;
- A certificate of Baptism recently issued (not more than six months old)
- Evidence of Confirmation
- Evidence that you have completed a pre-marriage course
- Proof that you had not been married before in some place where you had lived for six months or more since you reached marriageable age. You will get such a letter of freedom from the priest of the parish where you lived whether in another part of Ireland or abroad
When you have got these documents together bring them to the priest of the parish in which you now live and he will put them together as well as completing a lengthy form containing such data as the names of the Best Man and Bridesmaid, your future intended place of residence, etc. At this stage you should make a contribution to the priest. He will then forward all your documents to the church where you are to be married.
Mixed Marriage
If your proposed partner is not Catholic you will need to get a ‘dispensation’ from the bishop. As this may take some time please contact your local priest in good time.
Music
There is a church organ in each of our churches. You may employ the organist of your choice.
Please make sure that hymns and music in the church are appropriate to the Sacrament of Marriage that is being celebrated. Discuss choice of hymns and music with the parish where you are getting married and with the priest celebrating your wedding.
Flowers
You must make your own arrangements about the floral decoration of the church. Sometimes when two weddings occur on consecutive days or on the same day the cost of the flowers can be shared. The priest will put both families in touch if they so wish.
Rehearsal
You may wish to arrange a wedding rehearsal with the priest who will be celebrating the wedding Mass. Contact the parish office or a priest of the parish to arrange a time for a rehearsal to take place.
Wedding Booklet
Ask the priest who is to officiate at your wedding to help you with the task of creating your marriage ceremony. There are a variety of prayers, blessings, readings, etc. Read through these together and choose the ones you prefer. Choose the person(s) who will read at Mass, person(s) to read the Prayers of the Faithful and the people to bring up the gifts at the Offertory. The priest will also help you in putting together a wedding booklet if you wish to do so.
To celebrate the sacrament of Marriage does not require the celebration of Eucharist (Mass). While it has been generally the custom, it may not always be appropriate for example in a “mixed” marriage or when a couple are not regularly practising. Some couples today find the celebration of Marriage without the Eucharist, to be more appropriate for them.
Marriages on Sundays, Holydays and some special Church celebrations (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Feast of All Souls) are not permitted in this Diocese.