Marriage

 "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament."

Deciding Which Type of Wedding Ceremony you will have:

• There are two forms of ceremony for a wedding in the Catholic Church: a Nuptial Mass or a Marriage Service. A Nuptial Mass consists of a Liturgy of the Word, the celebration of sacramental Marriage and the Eucharist with Holy Communion. A Marriage service is simply the Liturgy of the Word and the celebration of sacramental Marriage, without the Eucharist. Discuss these options with an officiating priest or deacon.

• Hymns & Readings – A range of possible readings can be found at Liturgy Office | Marriage — Lectionary. Discuss these with your priest or deacon.

• Bidding Prayers – you can write these yourselves or your priest/deacon can provide you with some models.

• Music - The Catholic Church requires that music during your wedding ceremony should express the faith of the Church and be appropriate to the celebration, so the playing of recorded non-religious music is restricted.

Legal Requirements

You are required by Civil Law to register your intention to marry at a Registrar’s office.  A maximum of 12 months’ notice is required by the Registrar.  We recommend that you give notice to the Registrar as soon as possible after you have confirmed the date of your wedding.  You will need to make an appointment.  If you and your partner live in the same registration district, you are obliged to visit the Registrar together.  If you live in different registration regions, you must inform the Registrar of Marriages in both areas.  Each Registrar’s office will issue a Superintendent Registrar’s Certificate.  Please bring these certificates to the Priest to put in your file here in St Augustine's.  The wedding cannot proceed unless we have them with us.  If you are under 23, or were born outside the UK, you will need to produce a birth certificate.

Canonical Requirements of the Church

• At least one partner must be a baptised Catholic.

• You must complete a “Pre-Nuptial Enquiry” form with your parish priest. The sooner this is done the better, so contact your parish priest as soon as possible. 

  • You will be asked where and when you were baptised and confirmed so it is a good idea to come with this information. 

  • You will also each be asked to provide a Statutory Declaration of Freedom to Marry. This can either be the written testimony of two witnesses, who have known you since you were sixteen (such as your parents), or by a Statutory Declaration, which can be signed before any solicitor without an appointment (there is a fee of £5 per declaration).

  • The form also ensures that you understand the sacrament of marriage, a sacrament which the spouses minister to one another, and accept the Church’s teaching on marriage.  

• You will need to take part in some preparations:

• By attending a Marriage Preparation Course with other couples

• By meeting with your priest to discuss the ceremony and complete paperwork.

What is a Marriage Preparation Course?

• The marriage preparation course is an expression of the Church’s care for you as a couple, that is of the Christian community’s commitment to walk alongside you and support you as you make this important step in your life.

• Hopefully, it will give you an opportunity to have conversations and think about questions you may not yet have broached and therefore to find out a little more about each other.

• It is also an opportunity to find out a little more about marriage particularly as this has been understood by the Church.

• Lastly, every sacrament of the Church is received in communion with others and the course will enable you to meet other couples who will be getting married around the same time as you.

What form does the Course Take?

It is a one day Course, usually held in one of the parishes in Darlington on a Saturday/Sunday from about 10.00am to 3.30pm.  It is organised and run by two people, who have been trained specifically for this work.  It takes the form of a number of ‘awareness raising activities’ during which you look at and discuss various aspects of marriage using a selection of stimulus materials.  Although there will be other couples on the Course, you will be working only with your partner on the activities.  You will not be required to share your thoughts and feelings with the whole group.  We start the day with coffee and introductions, work until lunchtime, have a packed lunch together and work again in the afternoon.  We finish with a short service in which you re-affirm the commitment you made to each other when you got engaged and which you will confirm publicly when you get married.

You can find more information and register at www.marriagecare.org.uk or email: marriagecare.tyneside@gmail.com.

Ceremony Fees

Please give these in marked envelopes to the Priest before the rehearsal:

• Organist - £70.

• Choir (when specifically requested) - £50.

• Church Registrar’s Fee - £60.

• Recommended Church Donation – £300*

Other Things to Consider

• Confetti - Please only use bio-degradable paper confetti and only outside the church.

• Photographs – Please be aware that we have to be respectful of the privacy of those who live around the precincts of the church. For these reasons we ask that  all group photographs are taken either on the lawn area or in church and that photographs of the bride arriving are taken in the area just in front of the church.  Thank you for your sensitivity.

• Videoing – More and more weddings are videoed now.  We have no objections to this so long as the camera is in a very discreet position and will not cause any distraction from the ceremony.  

If you intend to have a video made of your wedding you must therefore obtain a proper video licence.  If your wedding is being videoed by a commercial firm, it already should have a current annual MCPS wedding video licence – you must ask if it does and, if so, whether or not the firm has exceeded its allocation of 15 weddings per licence. If a member of your family is videoing the ceremony, you will need to obtain your own MCPS individual wedding video licence, which currently costs £25.00.

• Parking – As with photographs, we also need to be respectful to the tenants of St Augustine’s Court regarding parking. Therefore, only the official wedding car may park beside the church (this is part of the legal agreement with the tenants). There is ample parking in the grounds of the Parish Centre on Larchfield Street. Thank you for informing your guests about this.

*This is a contribution to the upkeep of the church and the wages of the priest or deacon and parish secretary. St Augustine’s relies solely on the contributions of our parishioners, we are not supported by Government or outside funds. Of course this can be waived to meet the circumstances of the couple, the sacrament itself is free, but it is not appropriate to ask for a reduction if you are also planning a costly reception.