Preparing Your Wedding Liturgy

A walk through the liturgy: Celebration of Marriage

The structure of the Celebration of Marriage is common to all forms of the Wedding liturgy.

Description

After an Introduction by the Priest or Deacon there are the Questions before the Consent these show the couple’s freedom to marry in the eyes of the Church and the state. The couple then give Consent to one another — this is the central moment of the wedding rite by which the couple are married. There follows the Reception of the Consent which includes an acclamation by all. The rings are then blessed and given to one another and this may be followed by a hymn.

The Rite concludes with the Universal Prayer or Bidding Prayers.

Choices

The Civil texts (the civil declaration of freedom and the beginning of the Consent) have a number of wordings and the couple may choose which they prefer. They may also choose how they say these texts: repeating what is said by the Priest, from memory or reading from a card.

There are choices for the Blessing of Rings.

The Universal Prayer: a couple of model texts are found in the rite. These with further suggestions can be found on the website. As with the readings care should be taken to find a good reader for the intercessions.

Music

There are two opportunities for singing in this section. Both are new in this edition of the rite.

The Priest or Deacon receives the Consent of the couple and then invites everyone to give thanks to God for the couple. A short spoken text is given (Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.) but it may be replaced by an acclamation — a short song of praise.

There is also the opportunity to sing a hymn after the Blessing and Giving of Rings. This is optional.

More information.

• Choosing the Marriage texts
• Music for the Liturgy - Acclamation
• Hymns
• Prayer of the Faithul (pdf)