I have grown up in the Christian Church I am not catholic. Do they allow non-catholic's to get married in the catholic church if your a christian? I want to get married in a catholic church because it is soooo much prettier. Will they allow it? and does my wedding have to contain catholic customs?
2007-08-09 03:49:42 · 17 answers · asked by Floridagirl 3 in Family & Relationships ➔ Weddings
I'm not a member of any church, and I wanted to get married in a catholic church too at first because their churches are gorgeous yes- but you have to be a practicing catholic
I must have called 500 churches and they all told me to hit the road more or less- no you have to be a member here!
Besides that I dug into it a little bit, and catholics make everything very very complicated. You and your whole bridal party have to get together and take classes! yes classes! to be able to perform their ridiculous 3 hour long ceremony!!!!
So I am getting married in a big Baptist church that is just as beautiful, and all we have to do is the standard rehearsal the night before the wedding.
Actually every church told me you have to be a member or no way! I got lucky and had a distant relative get me in at her lovely baptist church. If you aren't a member anywhere, the non-denominational churches will marry you- but their churches are plain white walls and ugly
Good luck :}
2007-08-09 04:12:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
This question gets asked on here about 1,000 times a day, and you will see all kinds of answers on this topic. The correct answer is "it all depends."
Are you converting to Catholicism? Is your fiance Catholic? If he is catholic, you MAY - note, I said MAY - be able to be married in the Catholic church without converting. You will not be able to have a full mass, however. Communion is only given to Catholics.
However, there's no hard and fast rule on this - bishops set the rules in each diocese. Some priests require both the bride and groom to be Catholic to even have a simple ceremony, and some do not. Again, this is determined by each bishop. There's no Papal doctrine ruling on this.
If however, you have no intention of becoming a Catholic and just want the "pretty" backdrop, you can certainly call the church, but there's no guarantee that you'll be allowed. Marriage is a sacrament, and most priests take it pretty seriously. To just want to use the church for the venue alone may be viewed by some as disrespectful to the church and frowned upon.
2007-08-09 11:37:30 · answer #2 · answered by sylvia 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Catholics look at marriage a little different than Protestants do. For Catholics, marriage is a Sacrament, a sacred covenant between man, woman and God. For most protestants, marriage is a Rite, a sacred covenant between man and woman only.
Catholics, you see, have a lot more regulations about marriage than Protestants do. Almost any Protestant church will allow its sanctuary to be rented out for a wedding by non-members of the church. But Catholics are not allowed to do that by Canon Law.
The only way you can be married in a Catholic church is if you or your fiance or both are actually Catholic.
I suggest you keep looking at churches in your area. Some Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian and Lutheran churches use the same kind of architecture that Catholics do but don't have all the same regulations. You would have better luck getting permission to rent out a church from one of those denominations.
Congratulations on your engagement and good luck!
2007-08-09 12:10:15 · answer #3 · answered by sparki777 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No, you are not allowed if you are not catholic. Even if you are catholic you can't just get married in every catholic church. You need to get permission to get married in a church that is not your own and a lot of hoopla... sending documents of babtism etc, references from people who will "vouch" that you are catholic and who you say you are and more.
I am in the process of planning my catholic wedding and it is a hoopla! I found a pretty cathedral that I love in the city my fiance and I live in now, and I am in the process of it all.
My finace and I live together, and the church does not turn people away because they "lived in sin" like others have suggested it. They are a little more with it than that... they want members, they don't want to alienate people. We are joining the church we want to cut the process down.. we have a couple years before our big day, so it should be easier.
Usually BOTH bride and groom must be catholic and there is marriage "training" you need to go to that takes at least 6 months.
2007-08-09 12:56:55 · answer #4 · answered by Crystal 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are some Catholic churches out there that would require you to be a Catholic. However, there is a very beautiful Catholic church in my hometown and they say they would prefer only Catholics to get married there, but they will allow non-Catholic couples for a MUCH higher price than what they usually charge (they KNOW that church is beautiful and KNOW there are some spoiled brides out there who will get their way, lol!). I'd suggest simply asking the people at the church you have your eye on. Good luck!
2007-08-09 11:05:17 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Good luck with that. I doubt they will. My parents were practicing Catholics and they originally got married in front of Justice of the Peace because they could not afford an elaborate wedding. When they wanted to renew their vows in a Catholic Church, the Church turned them away and told them they had "lived in sin" for 13 years because they weren't originally married in a Catholic Church. Sorry I know the churches are beautiful, but Catholics are a tough crowd!
2007-08-09 11:02:11 · answer #6 · answered by Vbonics 6 · 6⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately you can only get married in a Catholic Church if you or your fiance have been baptized Catholic. With most Churches you also have to live within their church boundaries - each radius is different and depends on the Parish.
2007-08-09 12:15:54 · answer #7 · answered by VAWeddingSpecialist 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
One of you HAVE to be catholic . You can't just get baptized catholic and expect to get married in their church like that . You have to believe in their customs and the whole 9 . And yes your wedding has to incorporate some catholic customs in it if you are doing it in thier church . If its all about looks for you then find somewhere else thats just as pretty.
2007-08-09 11:40:38 · answer #8 · answered by ♥ Army Wife ♥ 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not at the parishes in my area. You may call your local Catholic churches in your area and see if they bend the rules but at my church you can only get married in a Catholic church if you or your partner are Catholic. Otherwise no. Same way w/ baptism. They won't baptize a child Catholic if their parents aren't.
2007-08-09 17:22:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's doubtful that they will marry you. At least one of you needs to be Catholic. You can call the priest and ask, since he has the final decision, but I really doubt they'll do it. If you're going to get married in a Catholic church, it's going to be a Catholic wedding with all the traditions.
2007-08-09 11:29:25 · answer #10 · answered by maigen_obx 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋