First meeting with the priest...need some help!

bnlamy5

My fiance and I are meeting with the priest on July 2 at the church we are getting married at and I am a bit confused at what to expect/what to bring/even what to wear! Any help will be great!

(First, a little backround, my fiance grew up Catholic, attended (and still does) Mass every Sunday and his family is very active in the church. Me on the other hand, I was baptised in teh Catholic church as a baby and was the only one in my family not to have gone to CCD/communion/confirmation. When we met in 2006, I became aware at how important it was to get married in a Catholic church and began the process of "converting" and recieving my communion and confirmation in 2007. Needless to say, being removed from the Catholic scene for so long, and it being at his family church, I am very nervous and confused at how these things are supposed to go!

OK...At the first meeting with the priest:
1. what do you wear?
2. What do you bring? documentions, payment, gift for the priest?
3. How do you find out/ask about fees of getting married in the church? Do you come right out and ask or not?
4. What actually happens at this first meeting?

Thanks for any help, I don't want to say/do the wrong thing!

Riss91

The first meeting is usually meant to get some administrative tasks accomplished (scheduling, documenting your information) and then for the priest to get a general idea about who you are. Always be 100% honest, even if you think he might not like the answer. He will also likely go over any requirements (pre-cana) and other information you'll need. I would dress conservatively - something you'd wear to church. We brought our baptismal certificates with us but not the donations. I would ask the priest straight-up what the suggested donation is.

doctabroccoli

I see you have a good bit of time before your wedding.  I don't think you need to bring anything with you besides yourselves.  Other documentation (like a new baptismal certificate for the purpose of the marriage) is usually only valid for 6 months.  And like Riss said - just be yourself!

bnlamy5

Thank you so much for your help! I am more at ease now knowing that I don't have to go crazy stressing over the first meeting! I'll keep you guys posted how it goes!

luckylux22

At our first meeting with the priest, he asked us some basic information about ourselves and they met with us individually to ask questions about our history (ie. baptism), if we'd been married before, etc.  When he brought us back together, he gave us a HUGE lecture about living together, the role of God in our lives, etc. and made me feel pretty bad about myself, especially since I, like your fiance, am a pretty active Catholic.  My fiance and I agreed it was better that we were honest but it still was harsh.  
As far as fees, etc, our parish had a pamphlet with all the church rules about flowers, music, rehearsals, ... and the fees for the church, priest, musicians.  
Good luck! 

kathleenkmm

I just had mine over Memorial Day weekend and it was laid back. We wore pretty casual clothes - I think we both had on jeans and sweaters. We filled out the Freedom to Marry affidavits and then the priest outlined what would occur.