How do you find a church to marry you when you don't go to church?

Question

I don't even know where to begin finding a church and asking them to marry us. I was raised Catholic he was raised Methodist. Neither one of us attend church and are more spiritual than religious. Our families are set on us getting marrried in a church. We thought that we would go the Methodist route since I know the Catholic church is extremely rigid in their ways. Do I call a church and ask? I need help going about this.

Answer 1

No, do not call the church unless you are going to make an appointment to talk to the preacher. If you were called and asked if you could get married in their church the reception would not be too good. However If you would talk person to person you would feel better or would go to another preacher that you would feel more comfortable with.

Answer 2

Some churches will let you basically rent their churches, and you can also look into the Anglican church which are less strict. I am divorced, and my new girlfriend was looking into getting married in a church. We found that the anglican church was the best route since we could hire a minister of the church, or even better for us, because the law permits it in Quebec, Canada where we live, someone from the family, or a mayor, or basically anyone can get sworn in to perform the ceremony for you.

Although raised in catholic families, we weren't practicing catholics, and because of my divorce, we had no choice but to look at another religion, simply because some insisted on having this celebration in a church rather than a hall or backyard. The church in this case was more for show, than the religion itself.

Hope this helps a little bit.

Answer 3

A Catholic church is out but the Methodist church is usually pretty welcoming. They will expect a very nice donation of course but if getting married in a church is that important to you then I'm sure you won't mind. Just call around. Tell them your situation. They might try and encourage you to go to church more often and make an effort to be a part of the parish. My opinion is on this is that going a few times before the wedding won't hurt it it gets you the wedding you wanted. Good Luck.

Answer 4

Yes. Just grab a phone book, look up some churches in the religion you wish to marry and go check them out. Calling ahead and asking if the date you want is free is a great start and explaining that you and your fiance don't have a regular church isn't going to harm you. Some churches (most in fact) will make you attend counseling classes or a counseling session before marrying you and this is normal. Even if you went to that church this is something you would need to do. It's not too bad.

Once you find out a church has the date free, set up a meeting with the paster or individual that will marry you for a tour of the church and to get to know him or her.

Good luck and congrats!

Answer 5

It is usual for the marriage to take place in the parish of the bride's parents although this is less common now as many people are marrying later in their relationship and have moved away from home. As the Church of England is the established church their priests conduct weddings in an official capacity and do not require a marriage license. All other denominations would require such a license for the wedding to take place. The best thing would be to contact a methodist minister in your area and see if he will consider marrying you. Try Yellow pages

Answer 6

If neither of you attend church, why are you getting married there? Is it to make your parents happy? Why not look for an original venue that fits who you are now? They aren't getting married and in the end they should be happy for you, not upset that you didn't get married in a church.

However if a church is a must, start going through the yellow pages and explain your situation. Some churches will not marry you unless you are a member of their congregation and others will have no problem but you'll have to abide by their rules.

Answer 7

Precious, 98% of those who get married in churches are not church goers or do not belong to the denomination that is marrying them. I have attended countless church weddings, and only one was a regular church attendee. Ironically, they used another denomination to marry them. Get marry and have a good time like everyone else. I too was raised Methodist. Find the largest and most beautiful Methodist church in your area and call the pastor. You will not be disappointed. I used to sing at weddings, I know what I am telling you is true.

Answer 8

If you would like to marry in a church, find a non denomintational, or Unitarian church in your area. Most Unitarian and non denominational church will rent out for weddings. You will need to provide your own officiant and there will be a donation or rental fee for the church.

So take a ride and make some calls to find a church you like!

If you are set on a Catholic wedding, there are some restrictions depending on the parish. I would reccomend going for the non denomination route.

Answer 9

Find a church that you like (in regards to the actual sanctuary..where the service will be held and also find a minister that you both like) by looking in the phone book or driving around in different areas. Ask friends about their churches.Speak to the minister or to someone at the church office about the cost and availability of using that church. It shouldn't be that difficult to find a church. Some ministers do require you to attend pre-marital counseling...especially if they don't previously know either of you. Good luck!

Answer 10

We got married in a the town where my wife grew up. It was an eight hour drive from where we live. Once we reminded the priest of how my father-in-laws father built the church with his own bare hands, they didn't have a problem.

The catholic church is rigid, but much more flexible than it used to be.