catholic marrying a non-catholic

Knottie1426460011

Hello everyone!

I am recently engaged.  I was raised Catholic and everyone on my side of the family is Catholic however my fiance is non-catholic.  His brother also happens to be a preacher and I think it would be really special for his brother to marry us, but he is non-catholic also.

 

I should mention that I am not a very religious person, I only attend church if I am back home with my family and it is a holiday.  

I currently live in Virginia and my dream wedding is to be married outside with the mountains here as a backdrop, not in a church.

I am just very torn because I would love for my fiance's brother to marry us and I would rather not be married in a church but I am Catholic.  Is there anyway to make this work so I can have everything I am looking for and still make it okay by the Catholic church?

Like I said I currently live in Virginia and the priest whose masses I grew up attending is back in New Jersey where I grew up, but I am not even very close with him so I do not have any priests that I know well that I could talk to about this.

Thank you all so much in advance!

agapecarrie

2 different issues at play: 

If you want your marriage to be valid through the church, you have to vow to certain things, such as raising children in the Catholic church. If you don't practice the faith, seriously consider why, what you are rejecting, and if you can live with it. If you decide you don't care for your marriage to be valid in the church, you will no longer be able to receive the other Sacraments as its a consistent living in rejection of the church.

You may still be able to have your FI's brother marry you, and still be valid through the church if you get a dispensation from Form. This is only the form for the wedding itself though, and you still have to go through the pre-marital process with the Catholic church and still vow to the items the Catholic holds to be true for a valid marriage.

I would suggest doing a personal inventory of what is important to you. Attend mass at a local church, talk to a priest about your concerns. They will direct you.