Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Home Weddings Marriage Prep

Marriage Prep

A small bouquet of white flowers, greenery, and beaded ribbon.

If one of our priests/deacons is presiding at the wedding:

  • Meet with the presider to go over the A-form to ensure freedom to marry in the Catholic Church.
  • Submit a clear letter from your own priest/deacon/church saying you have completed marriage preparation, which must include an AOD-approved marriage seminar and some type of compatibility assessment portion, or:
    • Attend an AOD-approved marriage seminar and show us the certificate of proof. We recommend one of our own Marriage Workshop Days, the marriage prep course at St. Anastasia in Troy, or one of the other options listed on this brochure: AOD Marriage Prep Opportunities.
    • To learn more about the Cathedral’s next Marriage Workshop Day, please connect with our wedding coordinator.
    • Complete the PREPARE/ENRICH assessment and meet with a counselor to go over the results.  Important details about that are here: PREPARE-ENRICH

If your own priest or deacon is presiding at the wedding:

  • Turn in the completed A-form or a copy of the completed A-form.
  • Submit a signed letter from your priest/deacon saying you have completed marriage preparation with his oversight.  If he so desires, you may use our Marriage Workshop Day as part of that preparation.

Process

Step One:

Contact the wedding coordinator to check the availability of your selected wedding date or to request a list of available wedding dates and times.  Our weddings are held on Fridays at 3 PM and 5 PM and Saturdays 11 AM, 1:30 PM and 4 PM.

**Please note that wedding dates cannot be firmly reserved until all of the required paperwork (described below) is received.**

Step Two:

Send (by mail or email) the following required documents to the Cathedral:

  1. Wedding Agreement
  2. Preliminary Wedding Registration Form.
  3. Priest Permission Letter. Only one permission letter is required and can be obtained from either the bride’s or groom’s parish priest.
  4. Newly Issued Baptismal Records (1 or 2) – newly issued records are required for each Christian 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 should also be submitted.

Step Three:

Once the documentation noted above is received, it will be reviewed by the Cathedral Staff. After review, our priest’s contact information will be sent to you to schedule your initial meeting if he is presiding; otherwise you will meet with your presider.

Also, once the documentation has been approved and your wedding date confirmed, the 30-day payment window begins. For more information about payment, please see our Fees page.

Step Four:

Bring your Marriage License (and all associated documentation from the County Clerk) in to the main office TWO WEEKS PRIOR to the wedding.