Congratulations on your decision to marry! The weeks and months leading up to a wedding are a time of intense preparation. There is much to organise, but your wedding ceremony is just the beginning of your marriage. Above all, engagement is a time of preparation for the life-long commitment of your marriage which begins on your wedding day.

What is marriage?

Marriage is a free, faithful and fruitful covenant by which one man and one woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life. This partnership is directed to the good of the spouses and to the nurturing of children. Marriage between two baptised people takes on an even greater beauty and importance because Christ elevated it to the dignity of a Sacrament. Sacramental marriage is an icon of the bond between Christ and his Bride, the Church. This bond gives married people the grace to imitate Jesus’ model of self-sacrificial spousal love.

Marrying in Corio Lara Catholic Parish

1) Baptised

In order for a man and woman to get married in the Catholic Church, at least one member of the couple needs to be a baptised Catholic. To demonstrate that you are Catholic, you will need to obtain a recent Baptism Extract for the Purpose of Marriage from the parish where you were baptised.

2) Free to marry

In order to form a valid marriage in the Catholic Church, bride and groom must be free to marry. If the bride or groom has been married before (either in the Catholic Church or elsewhere), the couple should not book their wedding date until they have met with the celebrant and until the celebrant is satisfied that the couple are free to marry.

3) Adequate notice

The couple should contact the parish at least six months before the proposed marriage date. Given the significance of marriage, the preparation program and necessary paperwork takes some time to complete. When you contact the parish office, you will need to nominate your preferred day and time for the wedding. Once confirmed, this will need to be secured by a $50 deposit.

4) Celebrant

Catholics must marry before a minister of the Catholic Church for their marriage to be considered valid by the Church. Fr Goulding is available to be the celebrant for the wedding of any parishioner of Corio and Lara. Couples are advised to consult their celebrant before booking the wedding or reception venues.

5) Venue

Catholic weddings are an act of worship and should ordinarily, therefore, be held in a Catholic church building. Fr Goulding will not celebrate weddings at non-church venues such as reception centre chapels, parks or beaches.

6) The Wedding Ceremony

Nuptial Mass or Wedding Service. There are two ritual options for celebrating a marriage within the Catholic Church: Nuptial Mass or a Marriage Service. The Nuptial Mass is normative when both parties are baptised and practising Catholics. The Nuptial Service is normative when one party is not Catholic or when one or both parties are Catholic but not regularly practising their faith.

Sacred Music. Music used at Catholic weddings must be appropriate for the sacred setting and must be approved by the celebrant. Secular music, i.e. music that commonly features on the radio, is not suitable for a Catholic wedding. Couples will be required to select sacred music for use during the wedding, including for the Bridal Entrance, Signing of the Register, and Recession. At a Nuptial Mass, sacred music may also be employed at the Offertory and Communion.

Readings. Catholic weddings feature readings from Sacred Scripture. The couple may choose their readings from a set list of options provided by the celebrant. Only approved biblical texts and translations may be used.

Photography/Videography. The couple may engage a photographer and/or videographer for the wedding. On the wedding day, photographers and videographers should present themselves to the celebrant and carefully observe any instructions they are given about the church building or wedding ceremony.

7) Donations

In order to secure a booking for your chosen date and time, Corio Lara Catholic Parish requests the following donations:
i) $50 – deposit
ii) $450 – church donation, due by the time of the wedding rehearsal
iii)$500 – celebrant donation, usually given at rehearsal or the last preparation meeting

8) On the day

You are welcome to arrange flowers to decorate the church. Such decorations should be arranged in consultation with the parish priest. Confetti is not to be used on church property. After the ceremony you will be presented with an official marriage certificate. The priest will retain all other paperwork and forward this to the Registry Office. Usually marriages are processed by Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria several weeks after the wedding.

Sacred Music at Weddings

At a Nuptial Mass, you will need to select music for the following five points:

• Bridal Entrance
• Offertory
• Communion
• Signing of the Register
• Recessional

At a Wedding Service, there is music at only three points:

• Bridal Entrance
• Signing of the Register
• Recessional

Natural Family Planning

We live in a culture that has separated procreation from sex through artifical contraception, but this is not God’s way. Openness to life is a key element of God’s plan for human sexuality, and therefore to our happiness. Natural Family Planning refers to methods of naturally regulating the birth of children in a way that preserves openness to the possibility of life.

Natural Fertility Services Melbourne

Natural Fertility Services Melbourne is one of 13 nation-wide affiliated members of the Australian Council of Natural Family Planning Inc. They offer education in natural effective fertility management methods so couples can plan their family. They are approved and partly funded by the Catholic Bishops of Australia.

Billings LIFE

The Billings Ovulation Method is a natural method of fertility management pioneered by Melbourne couple Doctors John and Evelyn Billings. Billings offer in-person and online education for couples seeking to manage their fertility naturally.

The Marriage Kit

The Marriage Kit is an online course for married couples who want a lasting, passionate relationship. All marriages go through their ups and downs – times of pressure and times of peace. No matter where you are at as a couple, it is so important to invest in your relationship together, to take the time to learn new skills, and to master what you are already good at. This course takes a refreshing look at what it takes to build and maintain a helathy and happy relationship.

Marriage Encounter

Marriage Encounter is a weekend away, offering married couples a special kind of “time out”, a different kind of “weekend getaway”. It is an opportunity to recharge your relationship batteries and more deeply explore the precious nature of your relationship. It gives you the tools to keep your passion alive in a gentle, nurturing environment, away from the pressures and distractions of daily living. Marriage Encounter is for couples with sound marriages who want to take their relationship a step further and enrich their marriage.