Beautiful churches in north/central NJ?

sherylg85

Hi Knotties,
I'm getting married this October and we are trying to find a church to rent for our ceremony. We're having our reception at the Grand Marquis in Old Bridge...does anyone know of any churches near by? (within 25 mins)
We would prefer for the church to be north of the reception rather than south. We looked at St. James in Woodbridge but are looking for other options as well.
Any leads would be sooo appreciated, thanks!

mbcdefg

What denomination ... Roman Catholic?

Here's the Diocese of Metuchen's website: http://www.diometuchen.org/ ... I would start there, find some churches in your desired area, visit them for weekly Mass, figure out which one you feel most comfortable in and would want to join, then call the office or approach the priest and ask how you can join the parish. Don't pick a church based on how it looks.

Where do you currently go to church? If it's out of the area, maybe they can recommend a church near your wedding area. If you don't attend church at all, start attending again and get a feel for the parish where you feel most at home, and then ask if you can get married there.

smw42

What area are you from? You'd ideally want a church that you can attend weekly leading up to your marriage and is also near your reception.

mrs.spunky1508

We got married at St. Mary's in South Amboy and it is really pretty but I've heard their requirements are more strict than most churches. We had to be members first, and attend weekly Mass for 6 months before they would consider marrying us there, then you had to book a year in advance. There were very few songs to choose from - all religious, no secular music at all, had to be one of 5 songs, that's it. We met with the deacon 4x in addition to attending Pre-Cana. No aisle runners, no rice or birdseed (basically bubbles only). The times were very limited. The latest a Mass could start on a Saturday was 1:30PM, no exceptions. However, it was where I received all my sacrements, where my parents were married, where my maternal grandparents were married, and short of having to donate a kidney, I'd have jumped through any and all hoops to have our ceremony there.
ETA: Regarding membership, I was a moron and thought b/c I went with my mom and was a member of my parents' household that was enough. It wasn't and once I became a member on my own, the 6 month clock started. In that time was when DH and I became engaged.

sserra85

the newark cathedral is beautiful.. it might be about 30 mins from old bridge though.

TripleJTobe

I definitely think it's a bad idea to shop around for a church. It should definitely be one that one of you belong to and plan to continue with. That being said, if I had to pick my favorite church, it would be Sacred Heart-Newark Basilica! Unfortunately, it carries a heavy "donation fee" if you are not a member of the parish and would like to get married there.....well, it's pretty pricey even if you are a member lol The church is stunning, however extremely strict with what you are and are not permitted to do. Basically you can't do anything except bring in your own minister, which you'd have to do anyway b/c they won't provide you with one. They are lovely people though, laid back, funny and the lady who handles the wedding coordinations there is extremely nice and helpful. We are actually considering using this church for our wedding.

gia0404

I agree with PP. Don't  shop around for a church. You want it to be a special place where you ar ecomfortable. I recently moved to South Plainfield & we started going to Sacred Heart. Scared Heart is a beautiful cathedral. But after going for a month or 2 I realized I didn't feel comfortable & couldn't picture being married there.

So after some serious convincing of the FI I went back to St. Cecelia's in Iselin. I made all of my sacraments there & it's the only church I really jnew growing up. Even if I didn't go every week. So altho it's not as cathedral like in pics like the FI wanted, it has history & special meaning.....Just my opinion!