Catholic Weddings

Confirmation then Wedding

I am planning on going through my confirmation this next year, and classes start in September. I would be confirmed in April around Easter Sunday in 2015. I am hoping to get married June of 2015. Is there any specific amount of time I need to wait between confirmation and a wedding?

Re: Confirmation then Wedding

  • Just keep in mind that most churches have a required discernment period (usually 6 months, but sometimes more).  It has nothing to do with your confirmation status, though.  Welcome to the church!
    Anniversary

    image

    image

  • I am not aware of any reason to have a specific amount of time between confirmation and a wedding. In fact it is not unheard of for one of the spouses to get confirmed or enter the church after the wedding.

    I would just contact your priest to start talk about starting premarital counseling and setting a date a year or so in advance (so maybe this summer) and also express your interest in being confirmed and being part of the RCIA classes that start in September (assuming you are engaged by then, I couldn't tell for your post if you are already engaged or thinking it is coming soon). Most dioceses require you to wait at least 6 months between contacting the church/priest  and the actual wedding date so you can properly prepare. But I have not heard anything about waiting a certain amount of time after being confirmed.

    Also welcome! I am a cradle Catholic but I know there are many ladies on this board who also went through RCIA classes who are pretty great at answering any questions/concerns you might have.
    image
  • Nope! I'm doing the same thing, just a year earlier. I'm getting confirmed this Easter and married in June. We talked to the priest well ahead of time (about a year ago, which was REALLY early for my church) to secure our date and talk about me going through RCIA.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I became engaged about a month ago. I've been active when I was home from college, but now that I have moved home, I am more active. My church says to contact them six months before, but since it is a summer month, should I talk to them a year prior?
  • bgali91 said:
    I became engaged about a month ago. I've been active when I was home from college, but now that I have moved home, I am more active. My church says to contact them six months before, but since it is a summer month, should I talk to them a year prior?
    Probably a good idea.  The six months minimum is not intended as a "make sure you get your date" thing.  It's because of the preparation you are expected to complete.  So you could contact them any time you wanted, really.  It's definitely best to secure your date with the church FIRST, so you don't have to back track with any other vendors.
    Anniversary

    image

    image

  • The actual process calls for a couple to not set a date until finished with the discernment portion of the marriage prep. Freedom to marry has to be established, and the foccus inventory has to be done first. Some priests make exceptions and go out of order, but don't count on this. 
  • the 6 months/1 year is often a guideline.  when i got married getting a date was not an issue as my parish was not a busy one in terms of weddings.

    some parishes have weddings every weekend.  then planning ahead is critical both for the preparation required and securing the date.

  • Ditto Calypso. Our home parish requires minimum 10 months because the church is (blessedly) crammed with baptisms and weddings on weekends.

    DH was confirmed July 13 and we got married Oct. 13. We started our pre-Cana in February for our October wedding.
    Anniversary

    image
    I'm gonna go with 'not my circus, not my monkeys.'
  • I would recommend calling a year ahead to let your church know what date you want.

    I called a full year in advance and someone already had my date reserved-of course, my reception venue had a wait list for the following Saturday, and I really didn't want to move to the next weekend, because then it was close to my birthday...yipes!

    It all worked out, but it was a hectic week while I waited for the other names to drop off the wait list. Now, we just put our deposit down in January 2014 for a May 2014 wedding, and I suspect it's because, as PPs have stated, my FI and I have been working on pre-cana/FOCCUS/establishment, etc.

    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I'm actually in RCIA now. They planned the confirmations for the morning after my wedding. I spoke to the priest (who is also marrying us) and he said I can make my confirmation any time after Easter Sunday. So far the plan is to make it April 27th so I'll have it in time for the wedding. I'm very excited that he was so flexible and understanding.
    Pregnancy Ticker
  • Also, my fiancé is Baptist. Since the traditional mass can't be given, will I actually receive the sacrament of marriage?
  • As long as your husband is a baptized christian, then your marriage will be sacramental.  It doesn't matter whether you have the nuptial mass or not.

    Also, just for clarification, if your husband is not a baptized christian, then the marriage will still be VALID, but not SACRAMENTAL.  Because only baptized people can receive sacraments.

    SaveSave
  • Thank you, that is a relief! My parents and I have been concerned that it wouldn't be.
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards