Marriage / Weddings
“Time to buy the ring!” If you are considering a non-Catholic wedding, please don’t! Civil weddings or ones done by a non-Catholic minister of religion are not sacramentally valid. The logic is simple. Weddings outside the church often result in families outside the church. Catholics are obliged to be married in the presence of a priest, in the consecrated space of a church dedicated to the celebration of all sacraments. Being married by a random person in a random place does not represent the kind of intention one would hope to have on one of the most anticipated days of one’s life. Consider prayerfully the dignity of this sacrament of love at the service of the gospel, that, as St. Paul says, is a symbol of the love of Christ for His bride, the Church. We welcome the opportunity to support you in your journey towards the joyful celebration of your marriage!
Step 1: Contact your local parish priest, even before booking the hall, where you currently live through the parish office ideally 6 to 12 months before any proposed date of marriage. The priest will want to discuss your readiness for Christian marriage, preparation for marriage courses, the documents required for marriage, and the ceremony itself. This is Step 1 even if you are getting married at another parish or even in another country.
A MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE (please remember, registering for this course is not Step 1) is offered by married couples to help engaged couples prepare for marriage. Completion of a Catholic marriage preparation course is a mandatory pre-requisite for marrying in The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton.
We strongly recommend that the marriage course be taken at least 4-6 months before the wedding, especially as space and program schedules may be limited. By participating in a marriage preparation program you will receive:
- Information about what the Church believes and teaches about Catholic marriage and family life.
- Advice and practical assistance for your daily married lives together.
- An introduction to Natural Family Planning (NFP) a reliable method of planning your family that is both based on science and in harmony with God’s design for sexual intimacy and Church teaching. NFP assists with planning or spacing births, and also often helps in working with any infertility issues.
- The witness of married couples to the sacrament of marriage and how it is lived in their lives.
For more information about our parish program, please go to this link (link will be available December 2025) and complete the form.
St. Thomas More Parish’s Marriage Preparation Course will be offered March 20, 21, and 22, 2026. Registration for this course is now closed because the number of registrations has reached the full capacity of the course.
Other Catholic marriage preparation in-person programs:
- Holy Trinity Parish (Spruce Grove) – Their last class for the year will be in May 2026. A copy of their brochure is attached.
• Parish Office: 780-960-0135
• Email: holytrinity.sg@caedm.ca
- Catholic Engaged Encounter – Weekend stay-in program with two upcoming dates:
• May 29–31, 2026
• November 20–22, 2026
Contact: Loretta Brown at ceefinanceedmonton@gmail.com or 780-466-0090
Online Catholic Marriage Preparation Program:
• CatholicMarriagePrep.com – The online program recommended by the Archdiocese: https://catholicmarriageprep.com/
FOR LATER MARRIAGES:
For those who have been in a long-term civil union or common-law arrangement, please consider celebrating the Sacrament of Marriage, putting Christ at the center of your marriage. A suitable Catholic later marriage preparation course can be made available to you through the parish and by talking with the priest. We are happy to accommodate you.
WEDDING PLANNING
