• FH needs to get a letter from his parish priest saying we can marry at the college chapel
• We need to find a pre-cana course we can attend and knock that out of the park
• We both need a copy of our baptism certificates from our churches, dated within the last 6 months
• 4 letters (2 each) from people close to us who can verify we’ve never been married before
• The priest will have to fill out a request for a dispensation as I am not Catholic

It sounds like a lot. It feels like a lot, but Fr. Hockman assured us it’s a lot of paperwork but nothing that will be a problem. He’s never had a wedding denied, so that makes me feel better. He was also really open to how we want to put our ceremony together. I’ve been reading about other brides’ experiences getting married in the Catholic church, and it seems to vary a lot. Some priests are so strict with their rules! I think we’ve found a good fit and we’ll have the flexibility to have a meaningful ceremony for all parties.

So now, it’s up to FH to get things sorted with his church while I research this marriage preparation business. Has anyone else gone through this? If you know of a good course to take in NEPA, I am all ears.