Our Lady of the Angels is a majestic modern cathedral centrally located in downtown Los Angeles. It’s conveniently situated next to the Hollywood Freeway, but a beautiful glass wall engraved with angels quiets the traffic noise keeping the holy space peaceful.

Many couples planning their traditional wedding choose to get married in a church. For Catholics, their wedding is not only a declaration of their love in front of family and friends, but also but also a solemn Sacrament. 

Have you dreamt about walking down the aisle of your hometown church? Or maybe you met your betrothed in college and want to get married in your university chapel? Or perhaps you’ve always envisioned a huge wedding in your city’s cathedral? If you belong to a church or have your heart set on a particular house of worship, it’s a good idea to check with the priest to see if your preferred date is available before booking your reception. Popular churches book one to two years ahead of time, especially on Saturdays. You don’t want to decide on your wedding date only to find out your church is not available, or the only time available is 9:00 am and your reception isn’t until the evening.

Make sure to give yourself lots of time to plan your Catholic church wedding.

5 Planning Tips for Your Catholic Wedding

1. Schedule your marriage preparation classes (Pre-Cana) early in the planning process so you can finish before the busier parts of wedding planning. 

2. Decide whether you will be having a full ceremony (like mass – about one hour) or a partial ceremony (about 20 minutes). 

3. Choose your readings and your readers, who may be relatives, bridal party members, or other friends. 

One of our favorite wedding readings is from Song of Songs.  

“Hark! my lover-here he comes springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Here he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattices. My lover speaks; he says to me, “Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! “For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! “O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, let me see you, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and you are lovely.” My lover belongs to me and I to him. He said to me: Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for stern as death is love, relentless as the nether world is devotion; its flames are a blazing fire. Deep waters cannot quench love, nor floods sweep it away.”

4. Select your processional and recessional music. Make sure to check with your church as to their guidelines. Consider whether to have live music or pre-recorded.

5. Design your wedding program. Make sure to allow time for the printing if sending out to be done. Or you can DIY and print at home.