Eveclair 
I am Catholic and dear isn’t so we had a discussion and he agreed with getting married at church. He knew my religion was very important to me and had always been very supportive and respectful about it. It is always important to know how your other half feels communication is indeed the key.
In order to get married in a Catholic Church, one person has to be Catholic, either the wife or the husband. It is also compulsory to complete a weekend of Catholic Engaged Encounter or Marriage Preparation Course over 6 weeks. Being mentally and spiritually prepared before uniting as one is paramount for a successful marriage after all weddings are for a day but a marriage is for a lifetime.
Dear and I opted to go for the Catholic Engaged Encounter at the marriage encounter house in Punggol, we booked a place a year in advance as the course was very popular and is almost always fully booked. Going for the course 6 months before your wedding day is recommended. My dad assisted me with writing a cheque as he wanted to give the course to us as part of his wedding gift. I mailed the deposit to the address given by Engaged Encounter office via email.
During the camp, we were advised not to share our experiences explicitly as it is for the benefit of other couples who will be attending CEE, so I will just briefly state that it was a very memorable weekend for me as dear and I spilt our hearts out and shared our thoughts and expectations of each other.
In a nutshell, the course was very thorough and informative. I reflected on my faith and it gave dear a better understanding of the catholic view on marriage. I, in turn, have learned that the marriage dear and I have is a non-sacramental natural marriage and that the promise we make to each other and to god is beyond just a legal marriage but a spiritual one as we are a sign of God’s love for his church, therefore, we should make God the centre of our relationship.
Before the camp, I was fearful about what my roommate would be like I know this should be the least of my worries but spending 2 evenings sharing a room with a complete stranger was scary to me. What amazes me was our roommates were very similar to us. Ladies stayed on one level of the building while gentleman on another.
My roommate turned out to be a very nice lady we became friends and still keep in touch till this day the best part is our wedding dates were only a week apart. For dear, his roommate turned out to be a friend of a friend from university who is Catholic. God does work in mysterious ways and always blesses us and provides us with what we need and can handle.
On our Wedding Day at Church – There were butterflies in my tummy throughout the whole morning before the wedding service. I could tell dear was nervous too by the way he held my hand.
My bridesmaids and the ring bearer, walked down the aisle first followed by Daddy and me. He was impatient as usual asking me why I was walking so slowly he quickens up the pace down the aisle before handing dear my hand, perhaps he was nervous too.
One Bridesmaid and Groomsmen
Dad walking me down the aisle
The choir sang beautifully. My sisters were the lectors while my mom in law and dad were our witnesses. Dear’s groomsman were all very supportive and helpful and did their best even this being the first catholic wedding that they attended. We said our vows and were man and wife.
Offering flowers to Mother Mary
I really have to thank my sisters and the Parish Secretary Gerard for helping me to organise the wedding, from booking the date and time and the venues to arranging the church florist and mass booklets. Gerard guided me throughout the entire event with so much kindness, patients and helpfulness. Father Eugene as well for being my celebrant and for always being so kind, patient, understanding and so filled with reverence guiding us on how the service should go and correcting the mass booklet to perfection.
The ceremony went smoothly ending with photo taking with family and friends and catered lunch in the canteen. I am glad that our wedding day turned out as planned in a simple and modest way reaching a milestone of our lives together.
