DC Catholic Church for Non Parishioner. HELP!

mkim630

Hi,
I would really really appreciate if anyone could tell me of any Catholic Churches in DC that would allow Non Parishioners to get married there.  I've talked to so many different ones and all of them have said no.  I've seen a list, but it is out of date, so I was hoping you all could help me with something more up to date. I was hopeful with St. Peter's because I read on an old thread that they allow it, but I have not had any luck.  I am also looking to get married on a Sunday, so I guess that makes it extra difficult.  I am nearly in tears and I hate wedding planning.

Thanks so much.

cms4mf

I think there's a mission church of some kind right outside DC in Arlington. They're not part of the Arlington Diosce and from what I hear they're quite liberal so you may have luck getting married on a Sunday there. My church wouldn't even let me have my wedding later than 1:30 on Saturday, nevermind on Sunday.  It's quite frustrating for trying to plan a reception time!

bigleen

I know that St Matthews Cathedral allows nonparishioners as long as you have some tie to the diocese of the area (member of another church, or family members of another church) However it's an extremely popular place to get married so you have to talk to them pretty far in advance. I'm also not sure if they even do weddings on sunday because they have like 6 masses on sundays. Have you tried St. Augustine? 

mkim630

Thank you for the helpful responses.  I have tried St. Augustine, and they said they only do weddings for parishioners. 

irisheyezfsu

No catholic church I know of holds Sunday weddings, because of mass times.  Generally all weddings take place on Saturday and if there is a Saturday mass then usually the latest wedding ceremony time offered is 2pm.  

DC and Arlington are very old dioscese and follow to some older rules, you are going to have to be flexible. Why wouldn't you register to a parish if you want to be married there? All you have to do is fill out a simple form with your address and name basically.  I had to register at a parish just for premartial classes in Arlington, even though we are getting married in my family's Church in Florida.

mkim630

It seems that all of the parishes require you to live in their area to even be able to register in their parish.  One lady, who worked at one of the churches I've called, recommended I register at the church I will attend once I get married, but my fiance and I have not decided where we will be living as of yet. 

osterhouta

We are getting married at St Peter's as non-parishoners.  Holy Trinity in Georgetown also allows non-parishoners to marry there, I think the fee was $2K for non-parishoners though.

[Deleted User]

I know that Holy Trinity allows non-parishoners to marry at their church, but for a lot of money.  Unfortunately, many churches require you to be within their parish lines and want you to register.  I remember seeing a review on Wedding Wire of a (very liberal) Catholic priest who does weddings at any venue.  So that could be an option, unless you're really set on getting married in a church.

caitlin.chapin

I am getting married at Epiphany Catholic Church in Georgetown as a non-parishioner. However, we live in Reston, and attend church at St. John Neumann's. Our priest there is coming in to the city to marry us, which was a common requirement when I was trying to find a ceremony location in DC. I know St. Matthew's and Holy Trinity were both willing to allow us to marry there, but as others have said, it was expensive. Epiphany is still a little pricey, $1,000 donation to the church. Sunday weddings in a church are also very tricky, but so far they have been very accommodating, so it would be worth giving them a call. Also, they are not as 'popular' as Trinity & St. Matthew's, so we had our choice of dates/times. My point of contact there is Jane Soberano, 202-965-1610. 

mkim630

Thank you, Caitlin!  Actually, my fiance and I just talked to the priest at Epiphany this past weekend.  The Sunday issue is still up in the air for now, but it seems possible, and we will probably have our wedding at Epiphany as well.  It seems like I've talked to the churces that will allow non-parishioners to get married there.  For anyone looking for this information, including the ones people have already mentioned above, St. Aloysuis will also allow non-parishioners to be married there, as well as St. Anthony of Padua DC. 

Thanks everyone for your help!

sgillan

The priest & deacon at Saint Martins of Tours Catholic Church in DC are super liberal and awesome.  They have a great outlook on marriage and the ceremony itself, so if you still are looking they may be a good stop.