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God who is love and who created man and woman for love has called them to love. By creating man and woman he called them to an intimate communion of life and love in marriage.”
(The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, art. 337)

Introduction
By choosing to get married in the Catholic Church of your choice you are presumed to be seeking God’s blessing on the aforementioned ‘intimate communion of life and love.’ As your local parish priest I will give you help in preparing for this, both with regard to the wedding and your developing relationship with each other. This information is offered to remind you of what was discussed at your initial meeting with me and to  inform you of what will need to be done in the coming months to ensure that when you arrive at your wedding day all the church preparations are in order.
Fr Dominic Adeiza

Deciding on the church
In coming to see me I have presumed that you have already booked the church where you wish to marry with the priest responsible for it. If not, please do this as soon as possible.
Couples decide on a particular church for their wedding for all sorts of reasons. The usual place for a Catholic to marry is their parish church but they can marry in another church by permission of their parish priest and in another suitable place by permission of the local bishop.
Having booked the church the priest will probably have directed you to your local parish priest. This is to ensure that the ‘prenuptial enquiries’ are completed.

The Pre-Nuptial Enquiries
At our initial meeting I will have begun to complete with you a ‘Pre-Nuptial Enquiry’ form. I will also have advised and assisted you in the completion of what other forms are required.
As part of the pre-nuptial enquiries some or all of the following documents are required:

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A Catholic must provide:
i) a recent copy of their Certificate of Baptism (6 months before Marriage) 

obtainable from the place of baptism.
ii.) You will need to get a Statutory Declaration of Freedom form signed by a Solicitor,

this form will be given to you by the Priest.

A baptised non-Catholic must provide:
i.) documentary proof of Baptism/Christening
ii.) You will need to get a Statutory Declaration of Freedom form signed by a Solicitor, this form will
be given to you by the Priest.

When a Catholic marries a non-Catholic or a person not baptised, the Catholic party is required to declare either verbally or by signing, that they will do all that they can, within the unity of their partnership, to have the children of their marriage baptised and educated in the Catholic faith. This declaration forms part of the ‘Pre-Nuptial Enquiry’ form and is made after I am satisfied both parties are aware of the implications of it.

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