Preparing for the Church Wedding is more important that the banquet of course. That's why we had this settled first before confirming anything else. There are many steps in the whole process leading up to the Holy Matrimony, so if any of you readers are Catholics like us, this set of entries may benefit you.

1. Choose a Church

This was easy for us. We both attend the same church (Church of the Holy Trinity) in Tampines and it would be more meaningful to get married there. It is also more convenient for the both of us (Ben stays a 10min drive away while Mel stays within the same street) and Ben even joked about how he was going to fetch Mel with a supermarket trolley on the morning of the wedding. Hahaha.

2. Choose a Date

When we called the parish office to check on available Saturdays for 2015, we were quite surprised that they were not very booked yet. Some churches are able to hold more than 1 wedding per Saturday but it's not preferred for ours. Weddings are usually not carried out during Lent Season (depending on the Calendar for the year but usually between Feb - April). So it is highly advised to book the location immediately once you've settled on a date.

3. Choose a Priest

That is really up to the individual. But do note that if you are inviting another priest into the church, it is basic courtesy to first ask the permission from your parish priest.

4. Schedule a meeting with the Priest of your choice

This is basically just to inform him that you would like him to celebrate your mass and to check if he is available on the date of your wedding. Of course he might not have his next year's schedule ready, but he would still note it down on his calendar so that if anything pops up (like being posted overseas or away on course), he will be able to inform you that you will have to choose another Celebrant for your wedding.

5. Booking the Church (and Parish Hall)

If you're intending to hold a lunch / tea reception after the mass, you will need to book the area (Parish Hall / Room, depending on your church). They will also ask you to fill up some forms and give you details (like a checklist) on what you will have to do, leading up to the actual day of your wedding.

6. Sign up for Engaged Encounter (CEE) or Marriage Prep Course (MPC)

There are 2 different courses to go for (but they both hold the same purpose): A stay-in 3D2N camp (Catholic Engaged Encounter) or a 6 Sundays course (Marriage Preparation Course).

Because of our teaching schedule on weekends, it would be difficult to take leave for 6 Sundays, so we will be registering for the CEE instead (Jan 2015). The Priest encourages couples to sign up as early as possible for the course, to better prepare yourselves for marriage life and to discover if marriage life is for you.


The next few steps will probably only take place 6 months before the actual day (e.g. Booking a Caterer, Printing Wedding Invites, Meeting up with the Florist etc.) but it's a good time to start sourcing early of course.

Despite wanting to get everything prettily decorated and guests well fed with good food, we believe that the most important segment is getting our vows sealed in front of the altar, in front of the people whom we treasure and love and having God present in our lives as we enter a new stage together as a couple.