Information on Documents, Advice/Notices & Church Requirements
Marriage is an icon
of God’s love for us
Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia: The Joy of Love
The Sacrament of Marriage
The Church rejoices in your decision to get married and offers its continued support to you as you journey together. The Church (the people of God) sees your marriage as a sign of God’s love among us. As ministers of the Sacrament of Marriage to each other you choose to live your married lives within the community of the Church. The Sacrament enriches your lives in a very special way but it also enriches the community in which you will live. Your decision to get married is a sign of your love and of your desire to be together as husband and wife.
Couples wishing to arrange their wedding in the parish are advised to contact the Parish Office at least six months before the proposed date. Please make sure that the Church is available for the date you want prior to booking your wedding reception venue.
Church Requirements
- Contact the Parish Office maryimmaculate@oblates.ie to make an appointment to book the Church for your wedding.
- You must provide at least three months notice of your intention to marry.
- When booking the Church and seeking a preferred date, you must furnish details of the Priest who has agreed to celebrate your marriage.
- If the marriage is in another Parish, documentary proof of freedom to marry is necessary from the Priest of your Parish.
- Visiting Priests, providing a celebret (identification for priests) are always welcome in the Parish for the purpose of celebrating a wedding.
- A Church Marriage Booking Form is then completed in the Parish Office.
- Church weddings generally take place between 12:30pm and 1:30pm
Civil Requirements
- Both parties must appear before the State Registrar in person to make
notification of your intention to marry.
- The Office of the Registrar General is Joyce House, 8-11 Lombard Street East, Dublin 2, Tel: 01 8638200. This must be done at least three
months prior to your wedding.
- Bring sufficient photographic ID with you.
- In advance of meeting the registrar, meet with your local priest, book
the church, and know the name of the priest (solemniser) who has
agreed to celebrate your Marriage.
- Receive the Marriage Registration Form (MRF) from the civil registrar,
without this document no marriage can take place.
- Show this document to the priest who has agreed to celebrate your marriage to check that the details are correct.
- For more information visit: www.civilregistrationservice.ie
Pre-Marriage Courses
All couples intending to marry are required to attend an approved pre-marriage course. Information and booking forms are available from:
Church Documents for Marriage within Ireland
- Pre-Nuptial Enquiry Form— the completion of the Pre-Nuptial Enquiry Form for each party takes place with your parish priest.
Both parties must provide:
- Baptismal Certificate—(long version) issued within six months of the proposed date of marriage from the parish of Baptism.
- Confirmation Certificate— if confirmation is not noted on the Baptismal Certificate, a separate confirmation certificate is required.
- Documentary proof of freedom to marriage for both parties – is required only if you have been resident for six months or more in a parish other than your present one since reaching the age of eighteen years. If so, a letter of freedom from each parish is required.
Alternatively, freedom to marry can be established by asking a parent or sibling to complete a form called: Statement of Freedom to Marry in the presence of a priest, stating that to the best of their knowledge s/he have never been married religiously or civically in any jurisdiction.
- Another possibility is a sworn affidavit before a Commissioner of Oaths attesting that s/he has never been married religiously or civically in any jurisdiction.
- Pre-marriage Course Certificate. You can book your pre-marriage course by clicking on the Accord link here:
- The Marriage Registration Form (MRF) from the civil registrar. Please note: It is the responsibility of the bride and groom to bring this form to the wedding ceremony and to take it away once it has been signed and return it to the Civil Registrar’s Office within one month to complete the civil registration process.
Love needs time and space; everything else is secondary
Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia: The Joy of Love