Website Review from Intercom-Marriage

This article was published in the May 2009 issue of INTERCOM magazine As copyright is held by INTERCOM I appreciate being able to reproduce the article here


Getting Married
This address should be the first port of call for all couples planning their wedding. This website is offered by CatholicIreland.net and ACCORD as a service to all couples preparing for a Church wedding. The site is kept very up to date and well maintained with professional graphics and easy to follow links. Preparations for the marriage ceremony are detailed in stages, beginning at eighteen months before the date, right up to the date itself. The navigation tools on the left of the page provide an easy gateway to the information on the site which includes resources such as articles and recommended books on growing your faith and knowledge during a couple’s engagement. All aspects of the ceremony are explained in detail with a particularly helpful section on planning elements such as music and prayers. The site also provides an excellent wedding booklet that is fully customisable and is very professional. This option does require registration with the site.

ACCORD

The purpose of the website of the Catholic marriage care service is to provide the user with access to information and support, if you are preparing for marriage, seeking to enhance your existing couple and/or other relationships, looking for help with marriage and relationship difficulties, carrying out research or just trying to learn more about marriage and family issues. The site gives full details of the marriage preparation courses offered by the service, from where to find your local course to a superb explanation of what takes place during the course.

This sub section of the website of St Peter’s Vincentian Parish in Phibsboro, Dublin, is an admirable example of how a parish can specify the requirements for getting married in their church in a clear and informative way, making sure that requests which a parish has about sundries flowers, confetti and music are made clear to all parties and provides contact details were needed. Recommendations are given for church offerings, practical information which will avoid confusion for both the couple and the priest. The web page also sets out the civil and Church requirements for a marriage including what documents to bring to the meeting with the parish priest.

The website of the Irish College in Rome provides a good resource for those who wish to get married in the college, a popular choice for many couples. The site is navigated using a drop down menu on the main page. Details include all papers and documents required; several, such as the questionnaire are available for download on Pdf. There is also information on the costs of photography, how to get to the college and how to apply for a papal audience.