What makes a Catholic marriage valid?

A Catholic marriage is valid when a man and woman who are free and capable of marrying give genuine matrimonial consent according to the form required by the Church, unless that form is dispensed.

Consent makes the marriage. The spouses themselves confer the sacrament upon each other by expressing irrevocable consent. No human authority can replace that consent (CCC 1623, 1626). Each person must freely choose a lifelong, exclusive partnership ordered to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children (CCC 1601). Consent obtained through grave external force or fear is invalid (CCC 1628). Serious incapacity to understand or assume the essential obligations of marriage can also invalidate consent (Canon 1095).

The spouses must be free to marry. A valid marriage cannot be contracted when a binding impediment exists. Examples include a prior valid marriage, close blood relationship, sacred orders, or a public perpetual vow of chastity. Some impediments can be dispensed by competent Church authority, while others cannot. A Catholic also needs a dispensation to marry an unbaptized person validly (Canon 1086). If only one party is Catholic, additional permission or dispensation may be required depending on whether the other party is baptized.

Catholics normally must observe canonical form. When at least one party is Catholic, the marriage ordinarily must be celebrated before an authorized Catholic priest or deacon and two witnesses (Canon 1108; CCC 1630). The competent authority can dispense from this form in certain circumstances. Without the required form or a dispensation, an attempted marriage is ordinarily invalid, even if the couple has a civil license and sincere affection.

The intentions must match marriage itself. A person cannot validly consent while positively excluding an essential element or property of marriage. An intention against permanence, fidelity, or children can invalidate consent. Infertility itself does not invalidate marriage, and spouses are not required to conceive. They must not exclude the marital union's inherent ordering toward children. When two baptized persons marry validly, their marriage is a sacrament (Canon 1055; CCC 1617). Once validly contracted, the bond is created by God and cannot be dissolved by the spouses' later change of mind (CCC 1639-1640).

Catholics planning marriage should contact their parish before setting a final date. Marriage preparation helps establish freedom to marry, address dispensations, and prevent doubts about validity later.