It may not seem likely, but the church has always been ‘romantic’ about the Sacrament of Marriage.
Yes, there are lots of rules and regulations, but these are to guide and protect the couple who are getting married.
The Christian church and the priest who officiates at the wedding ceremony are taking up the story of two people who love each other.
The man and woman who wish to spend the rest of their lives together are asking God to bless their union and this is formally celebrated in the wedding service. Since getting married and committing their lives to each other is one of the most important events in their joint lives, it is only fitting that as much preparation as possible is made.
To allow for documentation and preparation a minimum of 6 months notice should be given. This sort of time would need to be given to book a reception to celebrate the event.
The priest explains the documents needed; the marriage preparation course too should be sorted out easily when sufficient notice is given. A lot of parishes have married couples running those courses at various intervals.
The aim of the course as one priest said is “to make a good relationship better“.