Preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage
Congratulations on your decision to marry!
The Marriage Ministries office supports engaged couples as they prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage. We have prepared a booklet with guidelines and information to help you as you begin your wedding preparation which can be downloaded here:
Our aim is to offer the skills and insights to support your relationship for a lifetime of married love. As such we offer courses to facilitate you as a couple to prepare for a marriage that thrives.
While our courses are open to anyone of any faith or mixed faith traditions, it is a necessary step to be completed before undertaking the Sacrament of Marriage in a Catholic Church or officiated by a Catholic Priest.
Please read the information on our courses. Bookings can be made via the link below and the Marriage Ministries Coordinator will follow-up by email within a few days. We suggest you book a course well in advance of your wedding date and the busyness leading up to travel for the celebrations.
For any Marriage Ministry enquiries please email marriage@cadw.nz.
For urgent enquiries about pre-nuptial marriage papers and/or overseas dossier transfers (for those getting married overseas) please contact the Vicar General – Archdiocese of Wellington, Monsignor Gerard Burns at g.burns@cadw.nz.
Guidance on this is available in the Wedding Planning Information Booklet.
Marriage Preparation course registration
The next course will be held on 7 & 14 June (Sundays) 2026. To register online use the form below. Any queries can be emailed to the co-ordinator Simone Olsen marriage@cadw.nz.
Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
Marriage Preparation Courses
‘Love is a Decision’ & the Commit programme
The Commit / Love is a Decision programme is designed to be completed by the couple together in person, one after the other in Wellington. By doing both of these courses, couples are involved in a comprehensive programme to prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage.
This course is open to couples of any or mixed faith, not only for Catholics.
Married couples present the in-person course and facilitate the Commit Questionnaire with you.
The focus of each step of the programme is about discussions between the couple, spending time without distractions and in a relaxed neutral setting, prompting useful discussions between you and your partner, on important topics, things like your unique differences as individuals, your family of origin and early learning about relationships, continuing to build a life together and your shared values, maintaining healthy communications and ways of managing conflict, and continuing to grow your already thriving relationship.
The Commit Questionnaire simply identifies areas that could use more discussion between you. The in-person course delves into useful topics. The couples facilitating the course will share and discuss insights of the realities, challenges and joys of marriage in each of the areas.
When you register for the “Love is a Decision” face to face course, you are automatically registered for the Commit Questionnaire introductory programme. An Archdiocesan Marriage Educator will contact you directly to complete the Commit course before you attend the face to face group course “Love is a Decision”.
The total cost is $150.00 per couple.
Love is a Decision face-to-face course:
Dates for 2026:
- June (Sundays 7 & 14)
- September (Sundays 6 & 13)
- November (Sundays 1 & 8)
You can register for future courses below. Please make sure you indicate the which course you’re planning to attend by stating the month.
A certificate of completion is issued following the completion of the course.
If you wish to put your name down for a future course before registration is open please email the Marriage Ministries Coordinator at marriage@cadw.nz
The Marriage preparation course COMMIT runs from 1 February to 30 November each year.
If you are unable to attend a Love is a Decision Course or you have any questions, please contact the Marriage Ministries Coordinator at marriage@wn.catholic.org.nz or (04) 496 1719 to discuss.
Please arrange payment prior to attending the course, however if this is a problem please contact the Co-Ordinator to discuss any issues. The bank details are also here below:
Bank account name: Archdiocese of Wellington;
Bank account number: 02 0536 0003306 00
Please ensure you use the following;
Reference: YourSurname;
Code: LIAD26
Other options
If you’re unable to attend an in-person marriage preparation programme together, please contact the Marriage Coordinator to discuss options. Email marriage@cadw.nz.
Getting married in New Zealand or overseas?
All Catholic marriages require pre-nuptial papers to be completed. Whether you are getting married in New Zealand or overseas or in a church or non-religious venue. It is essential that you contact your local parish priest here in New Zealand as soon as possible to arrange an appointment to complete the marriage papers. More information about the papers required and the process.
Marriage preparation form
Congratulations on starting your marriage preparation journey!
Please fill in the form below to register
Please fill in the form below to register for the marriage preparation programme called “Communication Inventory” (COMMIT) and “Love is a Decision” (LIAD). You’ll need to attend both Sundays to complete the programme. Please note that this course is an in-person only course for couples to attend together. If this is not possible please email marriage@cadw.nz for alternative options.
You will not need to provide payment details in order to complete this registration. Instructions for the payment of $150 per couple will be provided in your registration confirmation and are also listed at the end of this page.
Please arrange payment prior to attending the course, however if this is a problem please contact the Co-Ordinator to discuss any issues.
The bank details:
- Bank account name: Archdiocese of Wellington;
- Bank account number: 02 0536 0003306 00
Please ensure you use the following;
- Reference: YourSurname;
- Code: LIAD26