Church Rental vent

jasmineh7777

So I want to get married in the church that I went to for most of my life. The church stopped having regular mass about 10 years ago. They now only use it for Friday morning mass for the Catholic school it is connected too.I talked to a man a week ago about using the church. He said that it was completely available, and all we would have to do is come in a day before to clean a bit since they don't keep it up anymore. I talked to another man today who informed me that the rental fee is $1200! For one, I have never heard of a church charging that much for someone who is a practicing Catholic to use it. We would only need the church for the mass- maybe 2 hours maximum.Beyond that, they are apparently selling the church. It is up for sale...and so even if I paid the rental cost there is no gaurantee that the church wouldn't get sold before my wedding date. Seriously?This church and another a few blocks away are absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous old brick buildings with oil paintings and stained glass. And yet, the church decided to spend $2 million dollars to construch a new church in the same area last year. That seems ridiculously wasteful. I thought I had the mass taken care of, and now I am at a loss. Okay, done venting.Thanks:)

Leah&Christian09

Look down at paying for the church.  You'll find that this isn't that ridiculously expensive.Since they don't keep it up and are selling the building, my guess is that they are trying to disuade you from renting it.  What's wrong with your home church?

jasmineh7777

I suppose the best way to explain my current church is that it is very "modern." My church shares the priest with another church, so services are split between the two. Both don't really look like traditional churches. We just got a new priest about 3 weeks ago, and are still getting to know him. He is a bit more traditional than the previous priest, but I am not used to Catholic mass being so laid back. For example, the Easter service this year was...interesting. A woman carried the bowl of incense and literally twirled around the priest and then again around the gifts as they were brought up.The church I want to go to has sentimental value, and I don't see it justifiable to literally charge $600 an hour for something that isn't being used.

jasmineh7777

I probably should have added that for Montana the price is very very high. It is literally triple that of my reception venue.

Leah&Christian09

If you don't like the church you currently belong to, why haven't you found a parish that fits your needs better?

jasmineh7777

My parents only have 1 car, and since my father works on Sundays I take my mom and little brother to church every week. I go to Catholic school and wouldn't mind doing the wedding there, but the Bishop doesn't allow the campus church to do weddings or confirmations.

Da0419

That's just obnoxious!  We're getting married in a cathedral near Chicago, and we're only paying $300 for the church and $200 for the church's musicians...I think $1200 is too much!

jasmineh7777

Yeah, I was a bit shocked. I called my Mom and said, "I think I'm not wealthy enough to be a Catholic." haha

nooniesinlove

Get married in the church that is a few blocks away from your original choice.  They will probably understand since your old church is for sale.  Since you say they look so similar, and since they're close to each other, the sentimental value might carry over.  Plus, you won't have to deal with the stress of having it cleaned and of it possibly being sold.

dogluver315

Catholic churches do seem to be more expensive than the Methodist church down the road. We're paying $1500 for our church. This isn't our home church (church members pay $800) but this is the only church I would ever consider to get married in. It is over 100 years old and is the traditional cathedral style with frescos, marble columns, beautiful statues, marble railing at the altar and everything I could imagine for our wedding. I was baptized in a very similar church and have always loved this style. I know the church is using electricity and having a few staff members on hand for our wedding so I don't mind the cost (but I do think it is expensive). I've been under budget on every aspect of our wedding. The biggest thing is you have to be comfortable with spending the money for the church or else you might just be thinking about that all through the ceremony and lose sight of what you're really there for. I hope that makes sense.

Calypso1977

even if the church was free, i'd be hesitant to use it knowing it may be sold out from under you, and you'd be left with invites already printed for one location, and your ceremony would be moved somewhere else.the fee is so high, i'm assuming, as teh catholic school that uses it probably needs the money.

jasmineh7777

Yeah, I'm definitely not using it. I'm just having trouble coming up with an alternative.  The priest that is doing the ceremony would let us use his church in a rural community about 20 miles away. I just don't want my guests to have to drive all the way there then all the way back for the reception. The Catholic school is actually in good financial standing-primarily beacuse the tuition is high and they have excellent enrollment. Only a minority of the students are actually Catholic, but the private school is definitely a status thing in my town. The church they will be moving into isn't available (I'm assuming they are going to be fixing it up, but they didn't give me an explanation.)

ItsMyDayNHis2

I have to go with the pp I would look to the other church.   If they maybe selling ..you do not need that to happen a week before the wedding and have to scramble for a new venue. As for $1200...My FBIL and his wife paid $1100, another friend paid $1000 and we are paying $1000 also.  I would go to a parish that is not up for sale and has regular services so that you know it is "kept up" and such.