Here are a few things to keep in mind in preparation for a wedding

• Contact the Salthill Parish Office to book the Church.
• Contact the Local Registrar and make an appointment to meet him/her. The Registrar will inform you of the documentation required to have your wedding registered with the Civil Authorities. (The Civil authorities charge a fee of €150 to register a marriage).

A minimum of three months’ notice of intention to marry is required by both Church and State. Usually, there is six to twelve months’ notice. The next step is to book a pre-marriage course. e.g. Accord: Tel. (091) 562 331 or a similar course approved by the Bishop’s Office.

Here are the different documents needed for a marriage

Preparing the Church documentation is the job of your local priest i.e. the priest of the parish where you now live, not the task of the priest in Salthill (unless you reside in Salthill) or of the priest who will officiate at your wedding.

The following documents should be submitted to the Salthill parish office six weeks before the marriage.

1. A recently issued Baptism Certificate

from the church where you were baptized.

2. A Confirmation Certificate

from the Church where you were confirmed.

3. Evidence of Freedom to Marry

You need to establish that you are “Free to Marry” by submitting Letters of Freedom, and/or Declaration/Affidavit sworn before a Solicitor, and/or letters from parents, etc. If you have lived in a number of places since the age of 16, it will take a longer time to gather the documentation. Your local priest will guide you as to what’s necessary.

4. Pre-marriage Course Certificate

Those getting married in a Catholic Church are required to spend some time in preparation for marriage and are asked to attend a Pre-marriage Course.

5. Pre-Nuptial Enquiry Form

When you have the obtained the aforementioned documents, arrange to meet your local priest who will fill out a Prenuptial Form.

This important form will contain data as to name, age, date of birth, parents, residence and asks a number of questions to confirm that you understand the commitment that you are about to make.

All the documents are then sent by your local priest to Salthill church. This should be done at least six weeks prior to the wedding.

A quick reminder of what is needed

• Book Church.
• Contact Civil Registrar and arrange interview.
• Arrange and participate in a Pre-marriage Course.
• Meet your local priest and prepare documentation.
• Arrange for Music, Flowers, Hotel Photographer, Video, etc.
• Meet priest who will officiate at your wedding to pick readings and format of the ceremony.
• Arrange rehearsal (if needed)

Here is some information that you need about the ceremony on the day

Music for Church.

Music should be appropriate to the solemnity of the ceremony and religious in character. Discuss this and the readings with the priest who will officiate at your wedding.

The following people are resident organists for weddings in Salthill Church

• Norah Lovern (091) 521 353
• Jackie Lillis

Flowers

Couples are welcome to decorate the church with flowers. In doing so we ask that flowers for a wedding only be put in place half an hour prior to the wedding. After the ceremony, couples may wish to bring their flowers away with them and we have no problem with that. It is traditional that couples leave at least one bunch/arrangement of flowers after the wedding as a gift to the church.

In instances where seats are decorated etc. we ask that the fabric of the furniture not be harmed (e.g. no thumb tacks or sellotape) and we would be grateful if the couple arranges for a “tidy up” of the church afterward or else request the parish office to arrange for our cleaning company to attend.

Time

Salthill is a busy Church and we have over 230 “Special Ceremonies” such as weddings, baptisms, funerals ” etc annually. We ask couples to be conscious that there may be other ceremonies scheduled on the same day. Rehearsals need to be pre-arranged with the parish office and limited to 40 minutes.

On the day of your wedding, two hours are allocated i.e. half an hour before, one hour for the ceremony and half an hour afterward. Brides are asked to please be on time. Kindly talk to the Parish Office if it is felt you need more “church time”.

Donation for use of Church Building

a) Parishioners

In Salthill, there is no fee for the use of the Church when either the bride or the groom lives in the parish and has supported the parish down through the years. Should parishioners wish to make a donation on the occasion of their marriage towards the upkeep of their church, such thoughtfulness is appreciated but not required.

b) Non-parishioners

If the couple is not from Salthill Parish and wishes to use the facilities, then it is suggested that they both donate a day’s wages each towards the upkeep of the Church in which they have chosen to have their wedding.

Your own priest

Salthill Parish is happy to facilitate “visiting” priests officiating at your marriage. Please arrange this at the time of “booking” the church and check that your priest has approval from both the Church and Civil authorities to solemnize and officiate at wedding ceremonies.

A Good general Web site and starting point on arranging your Weddings is: www.gettingmarried.ie

If there is any way we can help you with arrangements etc. please contact us:
Tel: (091) 523 413 (Office hours)
Email: salthill@parishes.galwaydiocese.ie