Wedding Inspiration

So You’re Catholic and Just Got Engaged. What’s Next?

First things first, congratulations!
If you’re reading this with a sparkling ring on your finger and a heart full of excitement (and maybe feeling a little overwhelmed too), welcome. Engagement is such a sacred and special season. A season where joy, anticipation, and discernment beautifully intertwine.

As a Catholic bride, your engagement is about so much more than planning a wedding day. It’s about preparing for a Sacrament, a lifelong vocation of love, sacrifice, and grace. So let us help you walk through what comes next, a practical step-by-step.

Dulcis Gratia Photo

1. Call Your Church, before Anything Else!

Before Pinterest boards, venue tours, or color palettes, call your parish.

This is the most important first step in Catholic wedding planning. Every parish has its own requirements, timeline, and availability, and many book far in advance (especially for popular, summer and fall months and feast days!) However, if you plan to have a shorter engagement ( 4-9 months ) it is entirely possible; you just need to get the approval of your priest and begin preparations right away!

When you call or visit your church for the first time, ask about:

Available wedding dates and times
Marriage preparation requirements (Pre-Cana, FOCCUS, retreats, etc.)
Paperwork needed (baptismal certificates, affidavits, dispensations if applicable)
Whether your parish requires the pastor as the main celebrant or if you may invite another outside clergy member to celebrate or concelebrate.
Church fees and if they differ for parishioners vs non-parishioners

Every church and diocese has different wedding policies, and they may differ wildly! Remember that if you’re getting married at a church that is not your own, you may have more steps to this process. For more church information that you might want to consider, check out this article about 10 Things to Consider When Booking Your Catholic Wedding!

2. Setting Your Budget.

Before booking a single vendor or falling in love with a venue, it’s essential to pause and talk about your budget together. This conversation isn’t just about numbers. It’s one of your first opportunities as an engaged couple to practice communication, unity, and shared decision-making, all foundations of a strong Catholic marriage.

Start by sitting down with your fiancé and openly discussing:

What you’re comfortable spending overall
What feels realistic given your current season of life
Any financial boundaries you want to honor as you begin your marriage

If parents or family members will be contributing financially, have those conversations early and with gratitude and clarity. Ask the kind people who may be contributing if….

Whether contributions are gifts or tied to specific expectations. If so, what are they?
What amount are they comfortable offering, if any.
How involved they’d like to be in planning decisions.

Clear communication at the beginning prevents stress and misunderstanding later and preserves peace throughout the process.

3. Choose Your Top Three Non-Negotiables

Once your overall budget is set, we recommend choosing three non-negotiables, categories where you’re willing to invest a little more because they truly matter to you.

This helps guide every decision moving forward and keeps spending aligned with your values.

For example, your priorities may be:

Photography: Prioritizing a photographer whose work you love and who understands the sacredness of a Catholic wedding, knowing these images will become heirlooms for generations. We may be biased, but we have the best of the BEST Catholic wedding photographers right here on The Catholic Bridal Collective!
Guest Experience: This may look like, splurging on a favorite caterer, meaningful details, or hospitality that makes your loved ones feel deeply welcomed and cared for. This can include a fun custom cocktail, maybe a harpist to play for them during cocktail hour, or a local specialty served tableside!
The Sacrament Itself: Investing in beautiful music, florals, or elements that enhance the reverence of the Mass.

Your non-negotiables may look different, and that’s okay. What matters is that they reflect you as a couple and support the kind of celebration you envision. When you know where you’re willing to spend more, it becomes much easier to say “no” elsewhere. It will give you the freedom to plan with confidence rather than comparison. Remember, a thoughtfully set budget doesn’t limit your wedding; it frees you to plan joyfully, generously, and with intention as you prepare to enter the Sacrament of Marriage.

4. Build Your Vendor Team Intentionally

This is where planning becomes especially exciting! Your vendors will spend some of the most intimate moments of your wedding day with you. When at all possible, choose people who respect your faith, your values, and the sacredness of the day.

A typical starting point ( after selecting your date with the church and venue ) may look like first reaching out to:

Wedding planner or coordinator
Photographer & videographer
Stationery artists for save the dates and invites
Caterers and/or bartenders
Florist

If you inquire or book a vendor, such as a photographer or videographer, who is NOT Catholic, we recommend kindly asking vendors:

Have you worked a Catholic wedding before?
Are you familiar with Catholic Mass guidelines?
Would you be willing to watch a video of the important parts of the Mass (send a YouTube link! ) or like to attend our rehearsal? We would love to show you the moments that mean so much to us as a Catholic couple!
How do you approach capturing reverent and sacred moments during religious ceremonies?

You deserve a team that understands when to step back, move quietly, and honor the holiness of the Sacrament. The right vendor team, will be more than willing to accommodate!

5. Discover the Catholic Bridal Collective

Lastly, if you are new to the site AND if you’re wondering where to find vendors who align with your Catholic faith, welcome! Thankfully, there’s a helpful, beautiful resource created just for you and it is completely free!

We are The Catholic Bridal Collective! The Catholic Bridal Collective is a curated directory of Catholic wedding professionals who love the Church and understand Catholic weddings inside and out. With over 130 vendors on our site, you can search by location, vendor, state, photography style, and more! Most of our vendors are in North America, but many will travel internationally, too!

From photographers and planners to florists and musicians, ours vendors are:

Vetted industry professionals who are practicing Catholics.
Respect the Mass and are familiar with all of the parts that make a nuptial wedding mass so special.
Honor Church guidelines and can work as a team.
Approach your wedding with reverence, joy, and prayers.

Get started exploring The Catholic Bridal Collective vendor directory here:
👉 www.catholicbridalcollective.com

6. Pray Through Every Decision

This may sound simple, but it’s essential. Invite the Lord into every choice. Your date selection, your reading selections. The vendors you choose and your expectations for the day. Give it all to Him.

God wants us to rejoice in the beautiful things of this world, and it is okay to desire a wedding day that reflects the love God shows in creation. But remember, your wedding is one day in a lifetime together, and ultimately, the completion of the sacrament. A lifetime of virtue together and getting eachother to heaven is the goal! Please be assured of our prayers as you begin to plan your Catholic wedding! Leave us a comment below or follow us on Instagram for more Catholic wedding planning tips! Let us know what you would like to see as you plan your sacrament.