Hi all! (My FH and I plan to talk with his priest more about this, but I wanted to hear others' experiences for reference. Thanks!)
My FH and I are planning to get married Summer 2021, but are working out details regarding the ceremony. He is Catholic, and I am a non-denominational (baptized) Christian.
We both come from strong faith backgrounds, and both of our families have opinions on where the ceremony should be held. I understand the significance and implications of (and of not) getting married in the Catholic church, yet I also want my faith beliefs to be represented in the ceremony. Thus, we are planning to request a dispensation from Canonical form so that the marriage is valid and sacramental, but so the ceremony can be held in my home church while meeting the requirements set forth in the Catholic faith (pre-cana, etc).
Some questions I had:
1) Have you or did someone you know request and receive a dispensation? What did that look like as far as timing? (I know people recommend reserving venues a year out, but my understanding was that a dispensation was submitted 6 months before the wedding. Makes scheduling and logistics tricky!)
2) Have you or did someone you know request a dispensation, for it to be denied? What was the basis of that decision?
3) Any misc advice / experiences?
Thanks so much!