You’ve decided to get married. Congratulations! It’s a happy and exciting time for you. Naturally you want to make plans, and you’re reading this because you want to be married in church, and more particularly at St Patrick’s, which is undoubtedly a lovely setting for a wedding.
Why get married in church?
Holding your wedding in a lovely setting adds something special to the occasion. But there’s much more to a church wedding than the setting. Choosing to be married in church means you accept the meaning of Christian marriage — or at least that you’re willing to think about it. On your wedding day you will make solemn vows to each other. If you marry in church you make those vows before God. You ask God to bless your love for each other and to be present in your marriage. On your wedding day you are embarking on a life-long relationship of love and faithfulness. The Catholic Church takes this commitment very seriously. For that reason it asks all couples marrying in a Catholic church to attend a marriage preparation course before their wedding. These courses — which take various forms — are designed to be a practical preparation for your married life together.
Getting Married at St Patrick’s
Strictly speaking Catholics should be married in the church of the parish in which they live. Our first obligation, therefore, is to those who live in St Patrick’s parish, or who will be living in the parish after their wedding, or who regularly attend Mass at St Patricks.
If you do not fall into one of these categories please note the following:
If you live outside the UK you must ask your own parish priest to do all the necessary paper-work in preparation for your wedding.
You will need to apply to the register office in Scotland so that your marriage is recognised in civil law.
Because you are making use of St Patrick’s for a one-off occasion and do not contribute week-by-week to its up-keep, we ask you to make a donation of £200 to the church at the time of your wedding.
What to do next
If you wish to proceed, fill in the application form below. When we receive the completed form we will contact you and explain in more detail what you have to do in preparation for your wedding.
St Patrick’s, Cowgate, Edinburgh
Wedding Application Form for couples living outside the UK
Please fill in the following details
Please Note: Sending or emailing this form does not constitute a firm booking. Your wedding is not booked until you have received confirmation from St Patrick’s that your wedding has been booked for a particular date. When we confirm your booking we will also give you further details about the steps you need to take in preparation for your wedding.