Weddings at Immaculate Conception
Parishioner Weddings
The wedding donation is $500 for active, registered parishioners who have been registered with the parish for at least a year before scheduling the wedding. To arrange a date, please contact the parish office at 202-332-8888, send an email to maryemersonic@gmail.com, or fill out the form below.
Non-Parishioner Weddings
The donation for non-parishioners is $2,000. We require that all couples work with their local parish to complete a marriage preparation program and gather all the necessary documents necessary to marry in the Catholic Church. Your pastor must send a letter saying that you are free to marry at Immaculate Conception in order for you to secure a date. You must also bring your own priest or deacon to preside at your wedding.
Marriage Prep
We offer marriage preparation mainly for parishioners who live in our parish boundaries. Please keep in mind that there is a six-month minimum for marriage preparation. If you live outside the Archdiocese of Washington, you will be required to do marriage prep in your own diocese. If you live outside the parish boundaries, you should ask your local parish for this assistance. The map below can help you determine if you live within the boundaries.
Marriage Prep FAQs
Q. Is there a difference between marriage preparation and Pre-Cana?
A. Marriage prep generally refers to the at least six month process of meeting with a priest. Pre-Cana generally refers to the course, usually over a weekend, which is part of the marriage prep requirement. We recommend Our Lady of Bethesda’s Three to Get Married.
Q. What happens during marriage prep?
In the initial meeting, the couple will fill out the prenuptial questionnaire that determines their freedom to marry in the Catholic Church . The rest of the process involves regular meetings with a priest or deacon, collecting sacramental certificates, completing and working through an inventory such as FOCCUS, and attending a Pre-Cana course, and taking a Natural Family Planning class, and planning the wedding liturgy.
Q. Do we both have to be Catholic to marry in the Church?
A. One party must be Catholic. If there is a non-Catholic party, a permission/dispensation form must be obtained during marriage prep.