General Considerations:
Finding a Date: A period of time from six months to a year is required to prepare prospective spouses for sacramental marriage. Church requirements do not permit us to confirm a marriage date prior to completing canonical procedures, including paperwork. This in itself can require a month or more. A date for your wedding can only be established in the parish calendar after this canonical paperwork is complete.
Freedom to Marry: The capacity to enter the married state requires the freedom to give a complete and unconditional “yes” to another person. Personal maturity and discipline are prerequisite to making such a radical commitment. Psychological troubles and/or addictive behaviors must be addressed in assessing the freedom to marry. The ability to give yourself totally in marriage presupposes that every effort is made to grow in personal chastity and to maintain prudent boundaries in your relationship with each other.
Freedom from other binding life commitments is also required. If there are any previous attempts at marriage in your history, these must be brought forward and examined carefully before taking any further steps.
Couples seeking “convalidation”: If the couple was not married by a Catholic priest (e.g. civil ceremony, judge, non-Catholic ceremony, independent chapels, etc.), they can speak with the pastor about having their marriage “blessed” or convalidated.
It is all too common in society today for couples to live together before marriage. This arrangement, commonly known as cohabitation, can obscure the capacity to discern marriage in freedom and eliminates many opportunities to grow in the virtues necessary to live the total self-gift required in marriage. If you find yourself in the arrangement of cohabitation, it is essential that you remove yourself from it as soon as possible.
Basic Requirements:
Once you have reveiewed all the guidelines please fill out the “Marriage Request” form. After receiving the form, the sacramental coordinator will reach out to schedule an initial meeting for both of you with the pastor.
The following documents need to be obtained and/or filled out in order to fulfill initial canonical requirements:
After completing the above steps, it may be possible for a wedding date to be booked in the parish calendar. Fees for the Parish (see below) should be submitted at the time of this booking. The final decision to book your wedding is made by the pastor of St. Peter’s.
Couples who have completed these preliminary requirements will begin the process of marriage formation. This process includes:
By the time of your wedding rehearsal, you must present a Civil Marriage license. This license, from Lake County in Illinois, must be obtained not more than sixty (60) days nor less than 24 hours before the wedding.
Dates & Times: The following restrictions will apply to the selection of a wedding date:
Practical Considerations:
Wedding Music:
St. Peter Church considers quality sacred music to be an important part of every liturgy and expects the choice of music for weddings to reflect this principle. The parish choirs have a number of fine musicians and vocalists, whom we can recommend to you. If you wish to use outside musicians and vocalists, they must be approved by the pastor.
Bridal Party, Decorations, etc.:
Not Permitted:
Fees:
Updated November 17, 2020