Congratulations!
Congratulations on your engagement! May God Bless you during this time of anticipation and preparation! We are blessed that you are interested in celebrating your wedding at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. The Cathedral is a local parish community of faith, as well as the ‘headquarters’ of the Archdiocese of Detroit. As such, many Catholic weddings are celebrated here every year – including weddings for couples who live out of the Metro Detroit area.
We have ample guarded parking, a long aisle, air conditioning, padded pews, outstanding music, and a beautiful Church! We also offer a beautiful, meaningful Marriage Preparation program to help get you ready for a lifetime of love! Here’s what you need to know:
Process of Getting Married at the Cathedral:
Step #1 – Meet the requirements
- At least one of the parties (the bride or groom) requesting a wedding must be a baptized practicing Roman Catholic and currently registered in a parish. This is a good time to be sure the registration is aligned to the couple’s plans… is this the parish they will attend for Mass, formation, service, social events, catechesis of their children, funerals?
- Any previous marriages by either the Catholic or Non-Catholic party must already be annulled, or the proper paperwork finalized. This includes weddings that took place outside of a Catholic church.
- There is a six-month minimum requirement for marriage preparation. *No weddings can be scheduled with less than six months notice.* This preparation may be completed in your own parish or with our priest at the Cathedral as described on our Marriage Preparation page.
Step #2 – Check availability
- Contact our wedding coordinator at the Cathedral to learn if the date and time you are looking for is available: call (313)-883-2868 or send an email. You can place a date on tentative hold for one week. If you do not submit the forms described below in that week, you will be removed from our calendar as we presume you have chosen another location unless you clearly communicate any unexpected delays to us.
Step #3 – Complete Wedding Inquiry
- Complete and submit this Wedding inquiry form. Please use legal names when filling out the information at the link. You will receive automated emails as you continue through the process.
- If you have been previously married, at this time you will also need to submit your paperwork confirming the marriage has been annulled.
Step #4 – Submit additional paperwork
- Newly issued baptismal records (1 or 2) – newly issued records are required for each Catholic member of the couple and must be obtained from the church where the baptism took place. These records need to be dated within the last six months at the time of submission. If that particular parish is now merged or closed, you may need to contact the local Archdiocesan or Diocesan Archives Office. (Detroit’s Archives Office can be reached at 313-237-5846.) For baptized Non-Catholic parties, a copy of their original baptismal record will also need to be submitted.
- Priest Permission Letter- If the bride and the groom are both Catholic, only one permission letter is required and can be obtained from either the bride’s or groom’s parish priest. If only the bride or the groom is Catholic, the Catholic party must obtain the permission letter from their parish.
Step #5 – Wedding Confirmation
- Schedule presider and complete A-Form: Your presider must be an ordained Catholic Priest or Deacon; we do not allow pastors of other denominations officiate weddings at our parish. When you have confirmed your presider, you must meet with him to fill out your A-Form. The A-Form is essentially a pre-nuptial form that the Catholic Church established for all couples who are getting married in the Catholic Church. It contains information about you and the questions of consent. This form is required and is important as it helps the Catholic Church determine if you have a sufficient understanding of what you are agreeing to in your vows as husband and wife in the sacrament of marriage.
- Submit payment: At this time payment is due. Please make a check payable to ‘Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament’ and mail it or drop it off at 9844 Woodward Avenue Detroit, MI 48202. We ask that you kindly note the wedding couple’s last names as well as the date of your ceremony on the check. Please see our prices below.
Fee: Times and Days
- $1400: 11 AM slots on Saturday mornings – All Year
- $1600: Other timeslots from January–March
- $1800: Other timeslots from April–December
- $2500: Weddings on Holiday and Holiday Weekends: New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day Weekend, Thanksgiving Weekend, and Memorial Day Weekend.
Step #6 – Marriage Prep
- Please read the details here.
Step #7 – Plan ceremony details
- Schedule rehearsal: Wedding rehearsals are scheduled with the couple 6 months prior to the wedding date on the Wednesday, Thursday, or (possibly) Friday before the wedding day. We are not able to schedule rehearsals before this time as we are still reserving the Cathedral for other functions.
- Select music: This should be completed 1-2 months prior to your wedding. See this link.
- Plan liturgy: This should be completed 1-2 months prior to your wedding, using the links provided here. It is customary for couples who are both Catholic to celebrate the Nuptial Mass, and for couples who are not both Catholic to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony outside the Mass.
- Obtain marriage license: Bring your Marriage License to the business office here at the Cathedral. Be aware, it may take up to a week’s time to obtain. Please make sure the county provides you with 3 copies. Include the envelope that I need to mail signed copies back to the County; it will be provided with your Marriage License. You will receive one signed copy at your ceremony and I will mail the other 2 back to the county clerk. Please let me know the full married name of the bride. (Keeping her maiden name, taking her husband’s last name, hyphenating her last name, etc.)
- Use vendor letters: Since we are a Catholic Church, it is important that outside vendors respect our faith and Church. Vendor letters must be turned in to us two months prior to the wedding. Vendor Letters are below:
Step #7 – Enjoy!
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers that may help you enjoy your big day!
