Figured I'd start early.

Raeneera

Newly engaged, and the wedding is set for next October. Both of us are catholic,but neither of us have been to church in years. I called my childhood church which most of my family are members of and now we have to start going. Its way out of our way, and he won't be able to go all the time unusual / unpredictable work schedule. Its not that I don't want to go to church, I just wish It was closer, and that he could attend with me all the time. But it will make my family very happy to have us married in "our" church.

Riss91

Hi there! Welcome to the board! You can go to church regularly in your local parish and still be married in your childhood parish - just speak to the priest in your childhood parish about it. My husband sometimes has tricky schedules on the weekends, so we have about 4-5 parishes that we attend (with one "home" parish).

itzMS

It's just my opinion, but it is far greater to attend Mass with your FI then it is to get married in your "family" church.

DH & I married in a church near the neighborhood we'd be living in that neither one of us had previous ties to. Now, it's "our" church.

professorscience

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_figured-id-start-early?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:b30b27f1-843f-417e-905b-43df68ffc77cPost:2da6f1b0-3197-45d9-9572-ceca9380a7ea">Re: Figured I'd start early.</a>:
[QUOTE]It's just my opinion, but it is far greater to attend Mass with your FI then it is to get married in your "family" church. DH & I married in a church near the neighborhood we'd be living in that neither one of us had previous ties to. Now, it's "our" church.
Posted by itzMS[/QUOTE]

<div>I agree with this.  I wasn't raised Catholic, and I always kind of assumed my husband would want to get married in the church where he was raised.  Instead, we'd made our homes in Dallas, so we decided to find a parish where we'd want to raise our family and that is where we were married.</div><div>
</div><div>And then we moved to Oklahoma.  :/</div>

Calypso1977

i was not married in my or my H 's childhood parish.
we opted to get married at the church we attended as a couple.

i think your family would be happy with you getting married in any catholic church so why not join one local and start going together? 

congrats on the engagement!

OliveOilsMom

H & I found our own church to attend.  We would have attended his parish, but it was one of the closures in our diocese.  So together, we found a great church we attended together before we got married.  This is where we are making our memories.

I know that my dad was a little upset I wasn't marrying in the church where I recieved all of my other sacraments.  But that parish has gone through a big change in the last few years and we felt more "welcomed" at our current parish.

Raeneera

Thanks for all the kind words gang. Great suggestions!

bibliophile2010

PPs have offered great suggestions. My H and I make going to mass together (now, as a family) a priority, even when that involves funky times due to his schedule. Start praying together, too. It might be awkward at first, but it really will strengthen your relationship overall.

stantokm

My fiance isn't Catholic (though he attends Mass with me), but we're getting married at the Catholic Church in his hometown that I attended during my senior year of college.  Pastors will generally let you get married at their parishes if you have a good reason (like it was your childhood church, your parents attend this church, you intend to make it your home church, etc.)  I could see them turning you away if your only reason was "This church is prettier than the others."

[Deleted User]

I started going to church with H when we began dating. I was baptized Catholic, but never got the rest of the sacraments. Going through RCIA was something I always wanted to do and I finally made the committment without pressure from my now H. We were actually married in his church, but it held the most significance for both of us due to how our relationship came together over the years we dated and some of the things we went through with my family. My Mom wanted me to get married where I did my RCIA and where I considered my home church, but we decided against it for the reasons I mentioned along with others. And everything worked out just fine in the end