Because Christian marriage is a sacrament, the Catholic Church places great importance on helping couples prepare well for this lifelong commitment.
In the Diocese of Salt Lake City, some parishes offer their own marriage preparation programs, while others rely on diocesan resources. These formation programs are designed to help couples deepen their understanding of the sacrament, assess their readiness for married life, and to gain insights —both individually and as a couple.

All marriage preparation begins with your local pastor.
Couples planning to marry in the Diocese must first contact their parish and schedule a meeting with the pastor or his designated representative. This initial meeting will guide you through the necessary paperwork and preparation steps.

Please begin the process 6 to 12 months in advance to allow sufficient time to complete all requirements and documentation.

Marriage Prep Requirements

Marriage preparation requirements in the Diocese of Salt Lake include first and foremost, meeting with your pastor. When your pastor (or designate) informs you to begin registering for your marriage preparation classes, you will need to register for the classes below. 

All couples getting married in the Diocese of Salt Lake City are required to complete the following (this includes convalidations):

1. Marriage Preparation (Pre-Cana) classes/retreat
2. Natural Family Planning (NFP) Intro Session

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Marriage preparation (pre-cana) Classes/Retreat

Catholic Engaged Encounter is the primary marriage prep program of the diocese. This is a weekend retreat (Saturday & Sunday) and is a commuter weekend, meaning couples do not stay overnight. The couples commute to the retreat on Saturday, go home Saturday evening, and return on Sunday. The CEE weekend retreat takes place in the Salt Lake area. 

There are typically 5 weekend retreats per year, and they fill up quickly. Couples should register early!

Language Available: English only

Learn more, see their schedule and register here:
 Catholic Engaged Encounter

Alternative to Catholic Engaged Encounter
Some engaged couples are separated by distance, in the military, or need marriage prep in Spanish. In these cases, an online Catholic marriage prep program (An online, self-paced, mentor-led program) also meets the requirements for marriage preparation in the diocese. Completion of 9 assignments is required over the course of 4-6 weeks.

This option does cost more than a Catholic Engaged Encounter retreat.

NOTE: There is an Urgent Care option available (additional fee) which can be completed in 2-4 weeks. 

Languages Available: English, Spanish and French

Pastor approval is required for this alternative program. Upon approval, a diocesan-specific link is provided to the couple.

Pastors who approve of this alternative marriage prep program should email or call the Marriage & Family Life Office. Upon approval, a diocesan-specific link is provided to the couple to register.


Convalidations
There is also an alternative option for those couples already civilly married seeking a Church wedding. Some of these couples may still benefit from a Catholic Engaged Encounter Weekend Retreat, while other civilly married couples may benefit more from the online, self-paced, mentor-led convalidation program.

Pastors who approve of this convalidation marriage prep program, should email or call the Marriage & Family Life Office. Upon approval, a diocesan-specific link is provided to the couple.

Premarital Couple Inventory
It is not required; however, highly recommended that couples also complete a premarital couple inventory/assessment with the pastor, deacon or other trained facilitator.

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natural family planning (NFP) Intro Session

A Natural Family Planning intro session is required for all couples getting married in the diocese. Couples must register for a class to attend and registration is required!

If you cannot attend an in-person NFP Intro Session, please contact your Pastor for authorization to take an online Intro Session.

*If you have Spanish only couples, contact the Family Life Office at [email protected]

All Diocesan NFP Program practitioners have been trained through a certified, and approved program. 

To register, couples should go to:
 dioslc.org/nfp

Couples attending an approved marriage prep program can receive a $20 discount on their marriage license if they apply online.
Couples should contact their priest/deacon so he can follow the instructions provided by the Family Life Office. 

Proof of completion of the program must be given.

The marriage prep program must be completed not more than one year before but at least 14 days before the marriage license is issued.

Questions? Contact the Office of Marriage & Family Life Director at [email protected] 

FAQ's

How Couples Qualify?
Couples participate in premarital education or counseling (marriage preparation) that meets basic content requirements. The counseling can be provided by a Priest or designee.  Other qualifying activities include Catholic Engaged Encounter, and other diocesan-approved marriage preparation programs.
 
What is the timeframe to qualify?
Education or counseling must take place no earlier than one year but at least 14 days before your marriage license is issued.
 
How do Couples Get the Discount?
Upon completion of the approved premarital counseling or education, the couple should ask their priest or deacon to complete the Online Certification Med Form. If the priest/deacon does not already have the password to the form, they should contact [email protected].  Once they complete the form, a discount code will be sent by email to the couple to use as they apply for their marriage license online.
 
Couples Must Secure Marriage License Online
Please note that couples must apply for their marriage license online to secure the discount.  Currently, anyone from any county can get their marriage license completely online within minutes through the Utah County system. 
Get your marriage license completely online!
 
What must the Counseling or Education Include to qualify?
The premarital counseling must be at least 3 hours in length (6 hours if an educational class) and cover the following topics:
 

1. Healthy communication in marital relationships
2. Commitment in marital relationships
3. Problem solving skills
4. Avoiding abuse in marital relationships

Helping married couples to deepen conjugal love and achieve responsible parenthood is part of the Church's total pastoral ministry to Catholic spouses. Fulfillment of this ministry includes both education and pastoral care. This means "instilling conviction and offering practical help to those who wish to live out their parenthood in a truly responsible way" (Familiaris consortio, 35).

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God designed marriage as an "intimate partnership of life and love" (see Gaudium et spes, no. 48). In God's design, marriage is a unique union of one man with one woman "for the whole of life" (see Canon 1055, The Code of Canon Law). Marriage is oriented to the good of the spouses and to the creation and nurture of new human life (see Gaudium et spes, no. 48). Making decisions therefore, about when and how many children to have in marriage is a sacred responsibility that God has entrusted to husband and wife. This is the foundation of what the Church calls, "Responsible Parenthood," the call to discern God's will for your marriage while respecting His design for life and love. 

The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because they respect God's design for married love. In fact, NFP represents the only authentic approach to family planning available to husbands and wives because these methods can be used to both attempt or avoid pregnancy. 

When learning about NFP, it is important to know that: 

• Natural Family Planning is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid conception. These methods are based on the observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. Some natural methods include use of fertility monitors to better understand the time of the wife's fertility. Married couples using NFP to postpone conception abstain from intercourse and genital contact during the fertile phase of the wife's cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy. Married couples who use NFP to attempt a pregnancy, make use of the fertile window--the optimum time when conception is likely.
   
• NFP reflects the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life, promotes openness to life, and recognizes the value of the child. By respecting the love-giving and life-giving natures of marriage, NFP can enrich the bond between husband and wife. (Standards for Diocesan Natural Family Planning Ministry, p. 23)

Used with permission from the NFP Program, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved.

If you are preparing for a sacramental marriage in the diocese and need to fulfill your requirements for marriage preparation, please see the Marriage Preparation section or go to -

 Natural Family Planning for Marriage Prep

The Vocation of Marriage

Marriage is a vocation, inasmuch as it is a response to a specific call to experience conjugal love as an imperfect sign of the love between Christ and the Church. Consequently, the decision to marry and to have a family ought to be the fruit of a process of vocational discernment (no. 72).  -Pope Francis (Amoris Laetitia)

Are you discerning your vocation?

Would you like to learn about the Church’s teaching on marriage?

Here you will find a host of resources to help in your discernment and formation on God's plan for marriage.

For Your Marriage by the USCCB

The Vocation of Marriage
Catholic Marriage FAQs
Church Teachings on issues related to marriage

Vatican

Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis To Married Couples for the "Amoris Laetitia Family" Year 2021-2022
Amoris Laetitia
Familiaris Consortio 

Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Sacrament of Matrimony

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)

Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan

"God calls you to make definitive choices, and he has a plan for each of you: to discover that plan and to respond to your vocation is to move toward personal fulfillment. God calls each of us to be holy, to live his life, but he has a particular path for each one of us. Some are called to holiness through family life in the sacrament of Marriage."  -Pope Francis

Get more information about vocations, discernment and God's plan for everyone on the Office of Vocations website.

"The well-being of the individual person and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family." - The Second Vatican Council (Gaudium et Spes)

Also see "Family Support" and "Other Marriage & Family Resources"

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• RESTORe - Catholic marriage help

Restore is an online, self-led marriage resource that gives you and your spouse the opportunity and the tools necessary to heal and restore your relationship. Whether married 6 months or 30 years, the hope for you in this process is threefold; that this will help you grow personally, relationally, and spiritually. Helping you become a better person, a better spouse, and ultimately the best version of yourself. The Restore program will aim to draw from not only psychology and counseling, but also the wisdom of our Christian faith and traditions.
Learn More Here: https://www.restorecatholicmarriage.com/ 

• worldwide marriage encounter

Catholics and non-Catholics alike, all married couples can benefit from this private time to reflect on the gift of your marriage. Experience this opportunity to lock out the daily grind and spend an entire weekend focusing on your spouse.
Learn more at: https://wwme.org/

"The future of humanity passes by way of the family". - Pope St. John Paul II

The Catholic Church understands the need for family support. There are many ministries, programs, apostolates and movements that offer resources to support families facing challenges, all rooted in the belief that the family is the "domestic church" and a fundamental unit of society. 

Here you will find information and resources to help support families. It is not exhaustive, so if you need more information or help, please contact the Office of Marriage and Family Life.

Also see "Marriage Support" and "Other Marriage & Family Resources".

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• Domestic Violence - Learn more and find help!
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• For Your Marriage (USCCB)

The USCCB provides us with a great resource for married couples, engaged couples and divorced and separated individuals. At For Your Marriage you'll find ideas and resources for every kind of couple: engaged, happily married forever, married but needing some help to restore more happiness. 
For Your Marriage

¿Qué han hecho hoy por su matrimonio? "Hagan 'Click' aquí para ideas y recursos para cualquier clase de parejas: comprometidos, casados feliz para siempre, casados pero necesitando cierta ayuda para restaurar más felicidad." Tomen algunos minutos hoy para aumentar su sacramento.

• Radiate Love (California Catholic Conference)

Radiate Love is an initiative of the bishop's in California which hosts an abundance of free resources including monthly reflections, prayers, videos, and other materials to help families become witnesses of God’s love.
Radiate Love

Follow the Marriage & Family ​Life Office on social media!
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