Services

Marriage in the Church

Marriage Formation

Marriage in the Church

We are excited that you are considering marriage in the Church. The Archdiocese of Vancouver Marriage Formation course will not only help prepare couples for a Christ-centred life together but also provide tools for healthy communication and conflict resolution, finance, and more to set yourself up for a thriving marriage. Marriage formation does not stop when a couple gets married; It is ongoing and lifelong.

This process of preparation for a sacred marriage takes time and care. We strongly recommend taking the course at least nine months before your intended wedding day.

This course is suitable for those seriously dating and discerning marriage, civilly married couples, and we also welcome couples who are not part of the Catholic Church.

Contact your parish at least nine months prior to your anticipated wedding date, or longer if you are planning to marry outside the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

The process begins with the initial interview with your priest or deacon to address your faith experience and understanding of marriage in the Church so that you can enter into this lifelong commitment before God well-prepared.

The priest or deacon will sign a parish form to indicate that you may move forward in the process and register for Marriage Preparation. Bring the signed parish form to the first session of the course.

Download Parish Form


For weddings taking place outside the Archdiocese of Vancouver, you would still need to contact a local priest who will assist you in completing the paperwork. This will be sent to the Vicar for Marriage who, in turn, will send the paperwork to the diocese where the marriage will take place. Please factor in additional time for the paperwork to be sent to the other diocese.

Read Guidelines for Marriage


The Marriage Formation course includes:

  • A Joyful Marriage
  • Communication
  • God’s Plan for Marriage
  • Prepare/Enrich Couples Report
  • Couple’s Finance
  • Married Couple’s Testimony
  • Life Issues and Fertility Health
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Witness to Love Marriage Mentorship
    Marriage mentorship is generously offered in many parishes. This will highly benefit couples in building a more robust marriage, resilient to the challenges that many face in our time. If your parish does not offer this, we can help. Let your pastor know you are interested, and that you can benefit from marriage mentorship at no extra cost. In addition, you are required to complete a Prepare/Enrich online relationship assessment and have a follow-up meeting with a program coordinator, assigned coaching couple or counsellor.

Webinar Course Guidelines

  • Couples, once registered, must do the first webinar and take the sessions in sequence.
  • Both parties must attend each session together; those not in the same location will log in separately and find another means to communicate during the discussions.
  • Make-up sessions are possible but must be arranged with the Office ahead of time.

Course Fee: $260


Your priest will assist in the completion of the required documentation.

  1. Dispensation: For a marriage between a Catholic and a baptized Christian of another communion/a member of a non-Christian world religion/a member of no religion, permission is required from the local bishop.
  2. Baptismal Certificate: If you are a Catholic, you must have a new baptismal certificate issued within the six months prior to your wedding. If you have been baptized in another Christian denomination, you may supply either your original certificate or a copy.
  3. Marriage License: Please apply for a B.C. marriage license (valid for 90 days). This is not required for a convalidation ceremony. For convalidation (those who already married civilly), a marriage certificate is needed.
  4. Marriage Form I: Under oath and individually with the priest or deacon, each fiancé(e) answers a series of questions about his or her freedom to marry.
  5. Marriage Form II: Each fiancé(e) needs outside testimonial of freedom to marry. Normally one parent or sibling does this by completing the form with the priest. Otherwise, you will need two witnesses. They must have known you throughout your marriageable years (Church law: 14 for bride, 16 for groom).
  6. Testimonial Letter: This letter is needed and will be granted by the Ordinary of the diocese or Rite to which one or both parties belong, when the marriage takes place in another diocese. 
  7. Marriage Preparation Course Completion Report: The completion report will be sent upon completion of all requirements of the archdiocesan course to the priest who is doing your paperwork.
  8. Letter of Consent: If your fiancé/fiancée is under 19, there is a provincial requirement that a letter of consent from his/her parents is provided to the priest, who will also interview the couple and make an assessment.

Please note that if you are getting married in a church outside the Archdiocese of Vancouver, a local priest must complete some of the above paperwork. Please factor in additional time for the paperwork to be sent to the other diocese.

Catholic Weddings Take Place in Churches

  • The wedding of two Catholics is a sacred and sacramental liturgy. The church is, therefore, the proper place for the wedding; Gardens, beaches, and secular “wedding chapels” are not. Learn more at https://youtu.be/c3qH25CqHaA.
  • To be married in another parish, permission must be granted from the parish in which you wish to be married, as well as from the parishes where you are registered.
  • A wedding in which only one of you is Catholic would take place in the parish of the Catholic party.
  • The Episcopal Vicar for Marriage may permit you to celebrate your wedding in the place of worship of the non-Catholic Christian party when an extraordinary pastoral reason suggests it.

Visiting Priests as Celebrants

  • You should discuss your choice of celebrant with your parish priest at the beginning of your preparation.
  • A visiting priest must present a Letter of Good Standing from his Bishop or Superior to the Chancery Office of the Archdiocese of Vancouver. If the visiting priest is not from BC, and if he is the main celebrant of the wedding, he needs to be delegated by the pastor, and he also needs a temporary license from the BC government. The Chancery will facilitate this process. Please factor in the time needed to apply for a temporary license.

Sacraments

  • Every Catholic should complete his or her initiation into the faith by receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. If you have not been confirmed, the time of your preparation for marriage is an opportunity to prepare for Confirmation as well.
  • The Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist will prepare you for a more meaningful experience of your wedding liturgy.

Wedding Liturgy

  • Your priest/deacon will help you plan your wedding liturgy. You may refer to the Wedding Liturgy Guide resource provided in the course. He will also inform you of any additional requirements that are particular to that parish.

We are offering a hybrid marriage formation course where the first* (and for some, the last) session of the series is in-person. For couples not residing in the Lower Mainland, we will provide a recording of the session.  

We are continuing to support and train parishes to offer the Witness to Love Marriage Mentorship Program to every couple preparing for marriage. The mentorship program will provide customized in-person support before and beyond your wedding day. 

If your partner is not attending the course with you and is completing it in another country, please email [email protected]

Please register for a series and a Fertility Health Awareness webinar that fits your schedule. You must pick a Fertility Health Awareness Seminar on a date after your series begins. If none are suitable, we’re offering an online course that a couple may take at their convenience should their circumstances or schedules prevent them from attending the series live in person or online. Our office must receive permission in writing from your priest to take this flexible course. Please contact [email protected]

*The in-person session will be held at the John Paul II Pastoral Centre (4885 St John Paul II Way, Vancouver, BC V5Z 0G3).

Course Dates


Instructions to take this assessment will be emailed to you after you register online.

The Prepare/Enrich questionnaire helps couples identify their strengths, weaknesses and major sources of stress. It aims to develop communication and conflict resolution skills before marriage. It is a discussion instrument designed to optimize couple satisfaction.

Once both partners have completed the Assessment, we will provide their Facilitator access to both Facilitator and Couple Reports.  The Facilitator Report is intended only for the trained Facilitator and will not be made available to the couple. However, we provide the couple with a Couple Report as they work with a Facilitator to develop awareness in areas of their relationship and to pick up tools to increase closeness and relationship satisfaction.

Learn more


Fertility Health Awareness education or natural family planning is natural, economical and respectful to the body of the woman and consistent with Catholic teaching.

A complimentary private consultation is included in the course. Some presentations offered are:

Learn more about Natural Family Planning (NFP)


Witness to Love is a marriage mentorship program that is offered with our course to better prepare couples for married life. You will be invited to journey with a mentor couple picked by you to be an invaluable support before and beyond your wedding day.

Learn More


After you have completed all the above requirements, we will send a Marriage Formation Report to your priest. Our office may waive a session or requirement in specific circumstances, as advised by the Pastor.

If you are marrying outside Vancouver, we will also email you a certificate upon request. Please notify us as soon as you complete the course.

Questions? Send us an email at [email protected] or call 604-683-0281 ext. 50223.


We are thrilled that you are now preparing to marry in the Church. The current course may not always be suitable.

Civilly married couples and other couples with very special circumstances may discuss a customized marriage formation  with the coordinator instead.

Some options offered:

Please email Sharon Goh to discuss: [email protected].