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Marriage NOT in a church

eclibraeclibra member
First Comment
in Catholic Weddings
  I can not find ANY information on the internet about this, but rather for the opposite circumstances than what I am searching for.
  My fiancee and I would like to married outdoors and understand that it is RARELY approved to perform a Catholic ceremony on non secular grounds.  We chose a location which we could perform both the ceremony and reception as his father is handicapped and it is not easy to travel for him.  We are having a large wedding which also contributed to chosing a large venue.
  My question is this, and I hope someone can help:  
  We are both Catholic and must be married by a priest.  Is it possible to get married in the church with only our parents and have the "civil ceremony" the following day?  My concern is not that the Church won't recognize the civil ceremony, but is this a cause for concern in any other way?

Any help please? :/
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Re: Marriage NOT in a church

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    eclibraeclibra member
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    edited December 2011
    Just as a side note, definitely worth mentioning...I didn't intend for the topic to come across as disprespectful, because I understand that a Catholic wedding is performed in a church.  I just didn't want to post an ambiguous title.
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    Riss91Riss91 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    It's great that you are still trying to have your ceremony performed according to the rules of the Church.

    The main concern is that the "civil ceremony" you will be holding the following day along with your reception is NOT your wedding ceremony. Will your guests realize this? If they find out that you were already married (the day before), they may be hurt that they weren't there to witness it, especially if they were under the assumption that the ceremony on the day of the reception was the real ceremony.

    Also..your priest will be signing the legal documents the day before, so there really isn't anything left to do in the "civil" aspect.

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    Calypso1977Calypso1977 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    also, many priests frown on this as the religious ceremony is not to be hidden, but rather celebrated.

    you could do a small wedding in the church with just your family, then invite everyone only to a reception.

    could you hire a nurse to assist your FFIL with moving between the locations?

    otherwise, id be inclined to cut my guest list if that makes it easier.  i know for me personally id rather have a smaller wedding and receive my sacrament than have a large wedding and not receive it.
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    SaraAndrew2010SaraAndrew2010 member
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    edited December 2011
    You may find these links helpful:
    http://catholicweddinghelp.com/questions/outdoor-wedding.htm
    http://catholicweddinghelp.com/questions/separate-ceremonies.htm
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic My wedding bio: http://saraandrewbio.weebly.com/
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