1. The couple chooses the church in which they wish to celebrate their wedding. They need to go to this church to book the mass and they will be given a form “Nota ta’ Booking għal żwieġ Nisrani”.
  2. After they fill in this form (it is important that all details are filled in), the bride and the groom take the form to their respective Parish Priest (i.e. the Parish Priest of the place where they reside) to get the form signed.
  3. Two years before the wedding, they have to attend a Marriage Preparation Course organised by the Cana Movement or by Belong. It is recommended that they choose a priest to assist them to prepare spiritually for their marriage. The Cana Movement and various parishes offer monthly meetings (currently only in Maltese language) for those couples who wish to continue working on their spiritual formation after the Marriage Preparation Course has been completed.
  4. Between three months and one year before the wedding, the couple will be invited to take part of a short course to help them to be prepared spiritually for the Marriage. The respective Parish Priests will contact them via email and they can choose to attend the sessions at the bride’s or the groom’s parish.
  5. Four months before the wedding, the bride and the groom must go to their respective Parish Priest (i.e. the Parish Priest of the place where they reside) to do the pre-nuptial enquiry. They must take the Baptism and Confirmation certificates as well as the Marriage Preparation Course certificate. The Parish Priests will give them the “dokumenti tal-istħarriġ taż-żwieġ” that they would need to take with them to the Curia Marriage Office.
  6. Three months before the wedding, the couple must go together to the Public Registry (Aldo Moro street, Marsa or Victoria, Gozo) so that the marriage bans are issued. They must take their ID cards and a photocopy of the ID cards of the witnesses. An appointment has to be made before going by calling 2590 4200 (or 2215 6383 for their office in Gozo).
  7. Two months before the wedding, the couple must go together to the Marriage Office at the Curia, Floriana (the entrance is located opposite the Malta Police Force headquarters) so that the Church bans are issued. They need to take the documents issued by the respective Parish Priests when the pre-nuptial enquiry took place. They can go Monday – Friday between 11am and noon. However, before they go they have to set an appointment by calling 25906205 between 9am and 4pm or send an email to  [email protected]. More details can be found here. 
  8. The Curia will give them a paper that they need to take to their respective Parish Priest (i.e. both the bride and the groom need to take it to the Parish Priest of the place where they reside). The marriage bans are then displayed on the notice boards of the respective parishes for two consecutive weekends. After the two weekends have passed, they need to go again to their respective Parish Priest to get the paper signed. 
  9. Together with the priest who will be celebrating the wedding Mass, the couple selects the readings for the Mass and the Bidding prayers, and go through the Marriage Rite. They need to give a copy of the readings to those who will be reading during the Mass, so that they will be well prepared.
  10. It is important that the bride and the groom prepare themselves spiritually, and they find time to confess before the marriage.
  11. All aspects of the wedding Mass, including singing and music, have to be appropriate for a liturgical function. It is recommended that they discuss these with the Parish Priest / Rector of the Church where the Mass will be held. As always, everyone should be dressed appropriately for Church.
  12. It is a good thing that the couple shares the joy, in some way or another, with those who are less fortunate.

Marriage starts with the wedding celebration but it does not stop there. The Cana Movement offers various meetings for newly married couples to continue to strengthen their relationship.

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