Do you need to be "confirmed" in some religion to get married?

Question

I'd never really thought about marriage before, or religion for that matter, but I recently heard that you need to get "confirmed" in order to marry.

Now, this doesn't seem right to me, because as far as I know, you only get confirmed if you're christian or catholic. (I could be completely wrong, I have no idea) I also heard that apparently only one of you has to be.

I'm mostly positive that if that is true, you can still get a more legal marriage without a conformation of sorts.

That being said, is it possible to have the more traditional wedding (church, after party, etc) without being confirmed in a religion?

I live in MN USA, if that makes a difference.

Any information would be appreciated, as I'm both a stranger to relgion and the details involved in weddings.

Answer 1

Good luck! Different groups have different rules. Those rules are religious and not civil. The government of the United States and those under such as state and local governments have no such rule.

Answer 2

"Confirmation" refers to a Catholic ritual that usually happens for kids around 12-13. A few Catholic churches, in order to marry you in that church, may require baptism and confirmation. My friend was married by a priest that did not require confirmation. Catholic priests and churches may also require conversion and pre-cana classes before you are married. Some churches may also require a full mass in addition to the wedding, this is much more rare (mass taking an hour or so).

There are a number of churches that don't ask much about your proclivities but do essentially have a Christian ceremony complete with readings and mentions of Jesus. Some churches may allow you to rent space and marry there and don't really pay attention to what you do during the ceremony as long as it's not sacrilege. It all really depends.

I am unclear about Jewish, Muslim, or other wedding traditions, but for the most part if you want to be married in a temple or religious place there are religious customs required.

On the other hand, many people can and do get married by someone the state allows to perform marriages, such as judges. These people are called Justices of the Peace. Some states allow any ordained person to perform marriages. Some states allow you to get a license to perform marriages (I have a friend who is a lawyer who does it). They can marry you just about anywhere you want to be married, like on the beach or in your backyard, or in the courthouse (being the fast and easy way).

In short, you need not have any religious associations with your marriage at all. However, if you want to be married in a church by their minister, there are normally religious traditions associated.

Answer 3

Nope! You can even have a friend become an ordained minister to conduct the ceremony. Religion isn't necessarily a part of getting married (I know it won't be a part of my ceremony), a Justice of the Peace from your local courthouse can also perform the ceremony, as can the captain of a cruise ship. Yes, you can be married in some churches without being part of that religion. A lot of the more elaborate cathedrals allow non-members to be married in their buildings (not within Orthodox, Catholic, or Latter Day Saints churches as a general rule). There is a gorgeous Methodist church here in Idaho that allows others to be married there (it's called the Cathedral of the Rockies if you'd like to take a look, just to have something in mind). http://www.cathedraloftherockies.org/

Answer 4

If you are catholic and you want to have a church wedding then yes, you would need the sacrament of confirmation for both marrying persons.. it's one of the church requirements. I'm not sure with other religions though but as far as I know, only the catholic church has this sacrament.
Another requirement is your baptismal certificate so if you haven't been baptized yet you need to get one too..

Answer 5

I've never heard of this before. No, you don't have to be confirmed in a religion to get married. If you want to be married in a Catholic church, you have to be a confirmed Catholic. The same goes for Morman, Jehovia's Witness, and Orthodox Jewish, but as far as most churches go, if you can pay the fee to be married in their church, they'll let you.

You don't even have to be married in a church for it to be legal. As long as the officiant is allowed by the state to be able to marry people and the correct papers are signed and all of that stuff, you can be married wherever you want...in your apartment's kitchen if that's where you want it to be. Or, just go to the justice of the peace.

Answer 6

If you're planning on marrying in the Catholic Church, then yes, at least one of you must have received the necessary sacraments.

If you're unsure, talk to your priest before making any further plans. He will likely require you to attend pre-marital counseling, anyway ... so don't set your reception and party plans in stone before making sure that everything involving the ceremony (the most important part of any wedding!!!) is all squared away.

Answer 7

There are currently no laws stating you have to be the same religion as your spouse for that marriage to be recognized legally.

There are many religions with denominations that will not be willing to recognize a marriage where both occupants do not share the same faith. This goes for Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

I personally would strongly recommend that you at least try to support your husband's religion, and see if you can find a place for yourself in it. The marriage will be much smoother for you, your husband, your entire family and your eventual children. Good luck!

Answer 8

It depends on which flavor of Christianity you intend to get married under. My wife and I got married by a Presbyterian minister (pastor, whatever, I dunno) because my wife grew up Catholic and wanted a religious ceremony.

Being atheist, no Catholic minister in the area would wed us unless I converted. Well, that ain't gonna happen. So we found a Presbyterian one from my old home town, had a meeting, told him we wanted a religious ceremony, told him why, and he had no issue with it.

If it helps, my answer to "why" was that marriage, although a legal institution, required an act of faith. My faith may not be where other's people's are, but as an act of faith I wanted to NOT get married by a JP.

Answer 9

All religions have different requirements- from none at all, to not being allowed to get married.
Most require some kind of short course.

I was raised catholic, and catholics can marry protestants if the protestant takes a special class.

I no longer believe in any of that.

Answer 10

< the other's religion.>> I imagine each couple has it's own reasons. The most likely reason is the obvious advantage the couple has when they, and the family as a whole, all hail from the same Faith. Hence, no competing theologies under the same roof. < to become Catholic.>> Marrying a Catholic girl was the obviously the the decisive factor in his conversion. There is nothing weak about that. < anything at all.>> You're NOT "forced". You're freely choosing to believe others are "weak". Since you can't read other people's souls, frankly I think your opinion is "weak". < sincere and meaningful.>> You ARE missing something, definitively. Such conversions DO mean something. It takes real commitment to convert TO the Catholic Church as there is up to a year of RCIA theological instruction and reception of up to three Holy Sacraments of Initiation. That takes REAL commitment. That takes a REAL conversion. < out for them?>> Not directly, no. Everyone in my family is Catholic and we all married other Catholics. The closest thing in my family is my sister's fiance. He was not a fully confirmed Catholic, so he had to go back and finish his initiation by receiving Confirmation.

Answer 11

If you are Catholic, you must be confirmed to be married in a Catholic church.

If both bride and groom are Catholic-both need to be confirmed.

If the bride is Catholic, but the groom is not (or vice versa) then you can still be married in a Catholic Church. However, you must promise to raise your children in the Catholic faith.