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If you're ready to take the next step in your relationship, the first thing you'll need to do is set a wedding date, but you'll also need to decide whether you'll get married in a civil ceremony, in a church, or both.

If you are both Catholic, you will want to be married in front of the altar and in the presence of God, and even if one of you is not Catholic, you can still be married by a priest or deacon.

What are the procedures and requirements for marriage in the Catholic Church? Read on so you don't miss any details.

Requirements

To be married in church and at the time of their first meeting with the pastor, they must present their valid identity cards and Baptismal certificates for each of them, no more than six months old.

However, if one of the bride and groom is not Catholic, they will need special authorization, either for a mixed marriage or a marriage with a disparity of worship.

In addition, if you are already civilly married If one of the bride and groom is widowed, they will have to show the death certificate of the spouse or the family record book. And in case of nullity, they will have to present a copy of the confirmatory decree.

They shall also comply with premarital talks The price of getting married in a church will depend on the location, size, season and services offered (lighting, decoration, etc.), among other factors. You will find Catholic churches for weddings where the donation is voluntary, to others in which the value exceeds $500,000.

It should be noted that a Catholic wedding can only take place in a sacred place, either with Mass or Liturgy. Therefore, if you wish to get married and celebrate the reception in the same location, you will have to choose an event center that has a chapel or parish.

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Procedures: 1. Booking the Church

Once you have set your wedding date, the next step is to choose the church and book it, ideally eight months in advance, especially if you are getting married in high season.

Of course, since parishes are grouped by territory, they will have to choose from churches near my location Otherwise, they must request a notice of transfer, which is an authorization from the pastor to marry outside of his jurisdiction.

By reserving an appointment in the parish secretary's office, you will be able to make an appointment with the priest for the Marriage Information.

Formalities: 2. Marriage Information

At this stage they must attend with two witnesses If this is not the case, then four people would be required.

While the bride and groom will meet together and separately with the pastor to express their intentions to marry, the witnesses will attest that the bride and groom wish to marry of their own free will.

Among the requirements to get married in church in Chile The witnesses must be of legal age and have their identity cards in force.

Marital Information, also known as Matrimonial File The purpose of this document is to establish that there is nothing to oppose the lawful celebration of a marriage in church.

Leo Basoalto & Mati Rodríguez

Formalities: 3. Pre-marital talks

Among the requirements for a church marriage The premarital talks or catechetical courses, which are obligatory, stand out.

These free talks, given by other Catholic couples, reflect on topics essential to a married life based on love and grounded in Christ, such as couple's communication, sexuality, family planning, parenting, household finances, andfaith in marriage.

There are usually four sessions Depending on each case, they can be group talks or individual talks. At the end of the talks, they will be given a certificate to complete the Marriage Information.

Formalities: 4. Court of Honor

Again, you must choose at least two other witnesses for the ceremony In this case, they may be family members, so they will have the task of signing the minutes of the religious marriage, certifying that the sacrament was carried out. brides and grooms tend to choose their parents Witnesses for the marriage are traditionally known as godparents of the sacrament or wake.

But if you wish to have a large procession, the Catholic marriage allows the election of page boys, bridesmaids and best men, as well as other godparents.

For example, wedding ring sponsors, who will carry and present the rings during the ceremony; ribbon sponsors, who will wrap them with a ribbon as a symbol of sacred union; or bible and rosary sponsors, who will carry both objects to be blessed by the priest and presented to the bride and groom.

Formalities: 5. Contracting suppliers

If you choose a church, temple, parish or chapel that does not offer additional services beyond the ceremony, then you will have to hire them at your own expense, including music (live or packaged), decorations, lighting and air conditioning (heating/ventilation), if needed.

As far as decorations are concerned, you can generally decorate the front door, the main aisle, the pews and the altar, but you must find out what elements are allowed inside and outside the venue.

But there are also churches working with providers specific, such as florists or organ builders, which will make the task even easier for them.

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Formalities: 6. Legal validity

If you only wish to get married in church in Chile and not by civil ceremony, you will still have to request a time to perform the Manifestation with two witnesses over 18 years of age.

In this instance, the bride and groom will communicate to the civil officer, in writing, orally or by sign language, their intention to marry, while the witnesses will declare that the bride and groom have no impediments or prohibitions to contract marriage.

Finally, in the within eight days of the wedding There they will have to return to the Civil Registry to register the marriage. There they will have to ask the official to register the marriage certificate by the Catholic Church, ratifying the consent given before the minister of worship. But if they do not register it within the eight days already mentioned, the religious marriage will not produce any civil effect, nor will it have any legal validity.

You can make an appointment for the Manifestation and registration of the marriage in person, or at www.registrocivil.cl, accessing with your Clave Única. To register the marriage you can go to the same office where the Manifestation was made or to a different one. And be aware that the reservation of an appointment can be made up to one year in advance.

Once all these points are resolved, the only thing left to do is to write your own wedding vows and/or choose the songs you want to sing for the ceremony. It will be a nice way to personalize your Catholic marriage. But if you are still not sure where to get married, on the website of the Episcopal Conference of Chile (iglesia.cl) you will find a search engine with a registry of churches throughout the country.