Plan Your Wedding

Congratulations on your engagment!  We are excited to work with you as you prepare for the Sacrament of Matrimony!

The sacrament of Matrimony forges a lifelong union between the souls of one man and one woman that is intended to image the loving, life-giving communion of the Holy Trinity. It is a beautiful and sacred gift that is entered into joyfully but not lightly.

To be married at St. Michael Catholic Church, one or both persons of the engaged couple must be a practicing Catholic and registered (or have parents or immediate family who are registered) at our parish for at least six months. Both the bride and the groom must be free to marry in the Catholic Church. Marriage preparation should begin at least six months prior to the proposed wedding date and must be completed at least three months prior to your wedding date.

To schedule a wedding and begin marriage preparation, please complete the Wedding Registration Form and secure your date with a $100 deposit.   Typically, wedding ceremonies are between 11:00 AM and 2:30 PM on Saturdays or at 4:00 PM or later on Fridays.  For more information, please call or email Cindy Woitalla at 612-470-4398 or [email protected]. 

Wedding Guidelines
Wedding Registration Form
Marriage Preparation Only Form

• Meet with clergy:  Several sessions of approximately one hour each with the parish priest or deacon scheduled to preside at the wedding.  Sessions will include the Roman Catholic understanding of the sacrament of Marriage, the planning of the wedding ceremony, and any other areas as determined by the priest, deacon or the couple themselves. 
• Take the FULLY ENGAGED inventory: A pre-marital inventory administrated by the parish priest/deacon.  This is NOT a test, but only a tool to discuss pertinent topics.   The bride and groom will each receive a workbook to complete as they meet with their assigned mentor couple.
• Mentor Couple Meetings- Four to six meetings to discuss the results of your Fully Engaged pre-marital inventory.   This is a very important part of the preparation for the sacrament and the engaged couples need to be flexible and available to meet with their mentor couples. This must be a priority for the engaged couple as it is a requirement.  The mentor couple will contact the engaged couple to set up the first meeting.
• Attend an approved Saint Paul and Minneapolis archdiocese Engaged Retreat: A retreat will help prepare couples on subjects such as spirituality, sexuality, communication, inter-faith issues, and finances. Couples may sign up for a weekend retreat at any time; they do not have to wait until they have secured a wedding date. “Living God’s Love” is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. To register, see link below or call 651-291-4553. You may also ask our priests or deacons for other approved engaged retreat options.
• Attend the God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage: one-day retreat at Saint Michael Catholic Church. This is in addition to the marriage preparation retreat listed above.  This retreat will be offered 3 to 4 days (always on Saturday) each year.  It’s the couple’s responsibility to attend one of the retreats PRIOR to their wedding date.   You will receive a certificate of completion. There is no additional fee for this retreat.  Please contact Cindy Woitalla at the parish office to register.
• Attend Natural Family Planning (NFP) classes: Artificial birth control is not an option for Catholics. Natural Family Planning offers a scientific, moral, and healthy means to delay or achieve pregnancy.  Some medical insurance programs do cover these classes.  Couples may  sign up for these classes at any time; they do not have to wait until they have secured a wedding date.  You may attend a NFP class anywhere as long as you are learning how to use NFP and not just what it is.  Refer to the NFP link below for a list of classes within the archdiocese or contact Nora Dehmer at 320-248-5892 or [email protected] who offers classes using our church space.
  
  If you are interested in Marriage Preparation only, please call Cindy at 612-470-4398.

If either of the engaged persons have been married previously (civilly or sacramentally), notification of a final declaration of nullity must be in hand in order to attest that there is not an impediment to a future marriage.  Because of the variables regarding the time it takes actually to complete a case, no future marriage may be scheduled in any Catholic Parish until the annulment procedure is completed.   While awaiting the outcome of the Tribunal’s actions, couples are advised to deepen their lives of faith and their relationship with Jesus Christ.  Please refer to the link above for the Metropolitan Tribunal of Saint Paul and Minneapolis or contact Cindy Woitalla at 612-470-4398 to get more information on declaration of nullity (annulment). 
 

Catholics are bound to observe a certain form of marriage ritual in order that their marriage be valid. Canon law—the law of the Church—requires that Catholics enter into marriage by free mutual consent that is witnessed in a church by an authorized bishop, priest, or deacon and at least two other witnesses. Marriages in which one or both parties are Catholic and which are not witnessed by an authorized bishop, priest, or deacon, or which do not receive proper permission to take place in another forum, are considered invalid in the eyes of the Church.

It may be that the Catholic who entered into marriage outside the Church did not realize that these requirements existed, but more often, it is because one or both of the spouses was not free to marry in the Catholic Church because of a previous marriage or because they were awaiting an annulment. Also, the Catholic partner(s) may not have been active in the Church and did not consider having a Catholic wedding.

The Church very much wants to assist these couples who later want to enter into valid Catholic marriage, and it offers them pastoral and spiritual support as they need it. When these couples are ready and free to do so, they celebrate what is called a convalidation, from the Latin word meaning “to firm up” or “to strengthen.” This is sometimes referred to as the blessing of a marriage.

It is important to realize that a convalidation is not merely a renewal of vows made previously but is a new act of consent by each spouse. This new act of consent is essential to marriage, and the words that the couple expresses are the outward sign of the gift of self that they exchange. This convalidation of marriage may be celebrated within Mass or outside of Mass, again depending on the particular situation of the couple. If both are Catholic, it is fitting that the convalidation be celebrated within Mass. If one spouse is not, it is preferable that it be celebrated outside of Mass.

Customarily, since the couple’s married life is a known and public fact and may have been so for many years, a simple celebration with an invitation to close family and friends may seem more appropriate than a large celebration. 

Canon law requires proper preparation for entering the Sacrament of Matrimony.  Please contact Cindy Woitalla at 612-470-4398 or [email protected] for more information or to start preparation for convalidating your marriage.