Why will the Catholic Church not perform or recognize an outdoor wedding?

Question

My fiancee and I want to get married outside, but a Catholic priest can not marry us, so he says. The Church does not recognize an outdoor wedding as valid, and the church will not allow weddings to be performed outdoors. Why is that? Adam and Eve were married in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus attended a wedding on the Mountian at Caina, both of which were outside, so why not us? I am not a Catholic so this does not really bother me much, but this is kind of disheartening to my fiancee who is. We are getting married outside anyways by a former Catholic priest who ran off and married a former Nun. Jesus taught us about love, so what's the deal with the in the Church building, not outside?

Answer 1

I would think it goes back to the whole religous revolution thing. Pagans and Wiccans are all about nature and outdoor rituals so the Catholics are trying to seperate themeselves from that?

I can't say that it makes sense but not much that the Catholic church does makes sense for me. Thats like saying if you give out candy on Halloween to trick or treaters you support the Devil's Holiday and are going to go to hell. (no lie a catholic priest told me that) I just don't want my house egged.

Answer 2

For a Catholic wishing to get married outdoors in a garden, the law thus far is very restrictive. Although, the following paragraph may at first glance provide a glimmer of hope: canon 1118.2 notes that the bishop can allow a Catholic marriage to be celebrated in another suitable place. Strictly speaking, therefore, it is not impossible under canon law for two Catholics to get married in a Catholic ceremony in a rose garden; there is nothing intrinsically unsuitable about the location. Although, this is usually an alternative if the church cannot accommodate the amount of people and/or another (larger) Catholic church is not within practical distance etc... Remember, it is obvious the latter cannot be performed at a secular entertainment environment since this is not a suitable place to celebrate the Catholic sacrament of matrimony. At 1st it would seem like all you would need to do is get approval from the diocesan chancery to have the priest officiate at the wedding in the family garden instead of the parish church. However, in truth obtaining that approval is not easy since the parish priest will ask the reasoning. The main problem with this desire is the fact that there is no logistical reason why the wedding cannot be celebrated inside the parish church; and the only argument being offered by the bride-to-be merely involves aesthetics and personal preference. One can always ask ~ but do not be offended if the answer is not favorable to your view. In the event it cannot be performed as you planned you might ask the priest to perform a blessing outside the church; ask your parish priest for more insight. God bless'

Answer 3

A wedding between Christians is a sacrament and should be celebrated in a church. Obviously the "ambiance' of the wedding is more important than the sacramentality of your marriage.R emember the wedding will pass but the marriage should last all your life.
Have the wedding service in a Church and the reception outside if doing something outside is so important to you and not having a valid and recognized Catholic sacramental marriage is disheartening to you fiancee. Do an Adam and Eve thing at your outdoor Cana themed reception.

Answer 4

If it's important enough for you to get married outside you should probably know that the church will more than likely not recognize your marriage as being legal in the church because your "priest" is no longer recognized by the church. Priests cannot just come and go as they please and if he left the church to get married, he has lost all his rights as a Catholic Priest, including marriage. If it is important enough for you to get married by a Catholic Priest so that the church recognizes it, and you still want an outdoor ceremony, you should get married by a Justice of the Peace outside first, and then have your Priest give you a church blessing.

Answer 5

It is ridiculous I totally agree. My fiance is catholic and I was raised catholic (but i dont really go to church anymore) and I want an outdoor wedding. And I even asked the priest to marry us and he told me that all priests have been told by the bishops that they are Forbidden to marry people outside the church. It is ridiculous that they cant even marry a couple next to the church (say on the church lawn). But that is what religions are all about...silly stupid rules and beliefs.
So just get a JP and get married outside, that is what I am going to do.

Answer 6

YOU ARE IN LUCK!

You may be able to have a wedding outdoors, but only with permission from your Bishop. Even then, you may want to choose land that is owned by the church to make the Bishop understand that Catholicism is still important to you. Perhaps the grounds of a monastery or university. (Well, remember that the site should be picked with reverence to the Sacrament of Marriage... 50 Yard Line of Notre Dame's Stadium is probably not appropriate... but if the University has a retreat house with a chapel, you might be in luck.)

The reason they are indoors is that the wedding should be held in the Bride's home parish. You are still having mass, and it's a pain to lug all of the accutriments out to a meadow in order to have the ceremony. The only Catholic wedding that I have attended that took place outdoors was actually only a blessing ceremony. The couple celebrated mass indoors 2 hours beforehand, and then had the priest bless their union at a gazebo alongside the river (heck, I'm Protestant... I couldn't tell the difference). Without the approval of a bishop, this might be the best outcome that you could hope for.

Answer 7

Matrimony is a Holy Sacrament. It is not something to be taken lightly. Nor is it something that can be "adapted" to conform with a given couple's personal preferences.

A valid marriage is a marital union that is consecrated in the eyes of God. What better place to do this than in a house of worship - where the couple is in the presence of God?

Jesus does teach love - but it is a love on His terms, not ours.

We are able to love because God loves. If God did not love, we wouldn't be able to love. Therefore, every marital union is made possible through God's gift of His love to us. We respond by giving to others that which has been given to us.

Our spouses, and our ability to love them, are gifts from God. It is right to show Him thanks by consecrating the Marital Union inside a house of worship.


It is possible to have your wedding in a place other than a Church. However, you have to have a good reason for wanting the wedding in a specific location. Personal preference isn't going to cut it, I'm afraid.

What you need to do is contact the priest's bishop.

Whatever happens, it should not be disheartening. God is th creator of the universe. Don't you think He, of all entities, knows the best way for us to worship Him? Receiving the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony is an act of worship, and God has the best way for this Sacrament to be carried out.

See what the bishop says. If he grants you permission, great. If not, this is nothing to be "disheartened" about. You and your spouse should show your love and thanks to God by receiving the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony in a house of worship.

Whatever happens, just enjoy the moment. Don't obsess over the "little" things.

Since you like the outdoors so much, you might want to consider a scenic outdoor location where you can have your wedding photos taken. This will add a nice touch to your wedding. Maybe, if you manage it, have the entire wedding reception outdoors.

Of course, I guarantee - you will lose sleep over whether or not the weather will cooperative with such plans. When everything is indoors, weather is irrelevant.

Answer 8

The Catholic church considers marriage a sacrament and sacraments are performed in a church. I am not sure I can give you a better reason than this. Do not bother shopping around for a different Catholic priest who will marry you outside, I just does not work that way.

BTW If either the husband or wife is Catholic you can get married in a Catholic church. The days when both had to be Catholic are gone.

Answer 9

Don't know if this helps or not, but I was raised Catholic and my husband is Weslyan. I'm not really a practicing Catholic (at all), so I didn't care that I couldn't have a Catholic wedding (they are funny about different religions marrying one of their own). I, however, wasn't gonna convert to my husbands religion just for the sake of a wedding. That and like I said, I'm not much of a practicing christian. I believe and all, but there are just so many different rules and guidelines between all the different religions.

Anywho, we got married outside in a park and had a friend in the family that was is a Methodist minister marry us. No big deal and we made both families happy by not picking one religion over the other.

If your former priest will marry you, just be sure he is still ordained to do so. Otherwise, have a great wedding!

Answer 10

I don't know all the ins and outs of Catholicism, but I would like to offer you a little something to consider...

If your fiance is a practicing Catholic. consider at least doing a private ceremony in the Catholic Church. If the priest is old fashioned... and the general thinking of the Parishoners is in line with old-fashioned values, your hubby to be will be considered as living in sin. He will no be able to take communion, and if you have children, it could impact them if you decide to send them to Catholic School.

Again, the impact will depend on the Priest and the viewpoint of the Church as a whole... but if they are that way, it will be a lot easier on him if you at least do a private ceremnoy in the Catholic Church... and do the big shin-dig that you want where you invite everyone and have a blast!

Just be sure to discuss it openly and with an open mind with your fiance. Let him know that you don't want to compromise his religious beliefs and would be willing to consider something that will allow you to have the wedding you want... and allow him to honor his faith as well.

Answer 11

I am afraid that you sadly misunderstand the significance of the church building and the symbolism involved in the church building. Church buildings are symbols of the Body of Christ, symbols of the gathered community, and symbols of the Bride of Christ. They are sacred spaces set aside for the sacred actions of the Church. In fact the building is designed for the celebration of the sacraments, in particular, for the celebration of Mass.
While it is permissible to celebrate Mass in other locations for some reason, it is normative for the Mass to be celebrated in the church building. Likewise, all of the sacraments are appropriately celebrated within the church building. There must be some proportionate reason for not celebrating the sacraments within a church building. Wanting a "romantic" outdoor wedding is not a suitable reason to abandon the notion that marriage is a sacred covenant and involves God.

In the church building, the entire people of God are represented, including the Church here on earth (gathered in the pews) and the saints in heaven (represented by images of Mary and the other saints).

To be inspired about the meaning and significance of the church building, one should merely read the texts of the Rite of the Dedication of a Church, found in the Roman Pontifical. And the feasts and solemnities of the dedication of church buildings are given high rank, often directly after the Lord himself and sometimes even before certain feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary.