From a Christian perspective, marriage is a covenant of love between a man and a woman. It is also a public institution and, from a Catholic perspective, a sacrament This sacrament mirrors the love of Christ for His Church. It is not just a personal, private relationship between two people. God Himself is the author of marriage. It involves an obligation to society and to the Church.

When a couple asks for marriage in the Church, two things are presumed. First, each of the parties must be free to be married in the church. They must be mature enough, and ready and willing to enter into marriage as the Church understands it. Second, the couple should understand that their marriage ceremony must be celebrated according to the policy and regulations of the Church in general and the local parish in particular, which are based on the Church's understanding of marriage.

Because marriage is a social institution, civil law imposes certain conditions upon a couple when a marriage takes place. The State regulates marriage in order to protect the rights of the parties to the marriage and to promote the common good of society. In a similar way, the Church regulates marriage in order to preserve the religious character of matrimony and to keep order in the household of the faith. The policy and regulations herein are aimed at ensuring a proper Catholic preparation and celebration of marriage. Some of the rules are those of the universal Church; others pertain to this particular parish only. But all of them are requirements for marriage at Little Flower Church.