Weddings

• Either the bride or groom requesting to be married in the Rosary Chapel must be an alumnus of Santa Catalina School.
• Event insurance is required, and documentation must be presented to Santa Catalina School 30 days prior to the wedding date.
• It is the responsibility of the couple to obtain a priest or deacon for the wedding ceremony and for the required marriage preparation.
• The Diocese of Monterey requires that the pastor of the parish where the bride or groom is registered write a letter to the pastor of San Carlos Cathedral granting permission for that individual to marry away from the parish. A copy of the letter should be sent to Santa Catalina School.
• All marriage preparation requirements for the Diocese of Monterey and San Carlos Cathedral parish must be completed in order for the Sacrament of Marriage to take place. 
• Permission for the wedding ceremony is tentative pending the completion of these requirements. If the requirements are not fulfilled, and/or if documentation and paperwork is not received in the San Carlos Parish Office at least 30 days prior to the scheduled wedding date, permission for the ceremony will be rescinded. 
• Marriage preparation requirements Include:
  • Couple must attend an Engaged Encounter retreat weekend
  • Couple must complete a psychological evaluation by a psychologist, a P.M.I., or its equivalent 
  • Couple must meet with the preparing priest, at his discretion, to discuss inventory results, psychological evaluation, questions regarding the sacrament, ceremony, and other preparation issues as needed. All necessary paperwork, including baptismal certificates, annulment forms, etc., must be given to the preparing priest and submitted to San Carlos Parish at least 30 days prior to the scheduled wedding date.
• A $300 processing fee is due to San Carlos Parish at the time of application. (This is refundable if permission is denied.) This is separate from the reservation fee of $1,500 due to Santa Catalina School.
• The couple must submit a letter at the time of application to the pastor of San Carlos Cathedral explaining why they would like to have their marriage take place at Santa Catalina and include their school affiliation.
• The couple must also submit a letter from the pastor of the bride or groom’s home parish stating that he or she is a practicing Catholic and granting permission for the marriage to take place outside of the home parish. 
• The priest performing the ceremony at Santa Catalina must be in good standing with his diocese and acceptable to the pastor at San Carlos Parish. The priest performing the ceremony assumes all responsibility for the marriage preparation of the couple as required by San Carlos Cathedral parish and Diocese of Monterey guidelines, and assumes full responsibility for finding a substitute if, for any reason, he is unable to perform the ceremony. The substitute must be in good standing and be approved. 
• All records of the marriage must be sent to San Carlos Cathedral, 500 Church Street, Monterey, CA, 93940.

The reservation fee to secure the Rosary Chapel for a marriage ceremony is $1,500. This fee is due in full within 10 days of putting a date on hold. The reservation fee is non-refundable unless a written request is made no less than three months prior to the original scheduled reservation. The fee does not include the processing fee to San Carlos Cathedral, nor a customary stipend of $250 for the presider on the day of the wedding.

Fees for marriage preparation courses, third party vendors (florists, photographers, etc.), and music for the ceremony, along with event insurance, is the responsibility of the couple. Floral deliveries and music setup are the responsibility of the wedding party.