HELP! Catholic Wedding on a SUNDAY?

ellegabriel

Do any of you know a church in the Los Angeles area that would do weddings on a Sunday? I'm in Hong Kong and my fiancé is from LA. I've just found out that very few (if any) Catholic churches do weddings on a Sunday. We have already booked the reception venue for December 8th (Sunday) and all of their Saturdays close to that date are fully booked I wish I knew that about the churches in LA earlier, I would've picked a different date!

agapecarrie

Most Catholic churches won't give a date until you've gone through a pre-marital investigation with them. They must first make sure you are both free to marry and don't have any other major issues to deal with. This is why you should go through the church first. 

Regarding Sundays, this is true for anywhere. Sundays are about celebrating the mass as a community, not privately. Many priests already have to say 3 masses on Sundays and are restricted from doing any more. 

you can always simply do the rite of marriage at the normal Sunday mass, but you can't do all the extra pomp, special music and readings, huge wedding party, and can't invite lots of people that will push the regular mass goers out. 

I recommend unbooking your venue, and seek out the parish church where your fiance attends to find a date that works. 

professorscience

Could you do your ceremony on the 7th and keep your reception as is?  I don't know if I would love that as a guest, but it seems at least the most cost-effective way to solve your problem...

HisGirlFriday13

This is why you book the church, then book the venue.

My wedding is a Sunday (Oct. 13), and we had difficulties. The priest of the church where we are getting married (in my hometown) was more than happy to let us use the church itself, but he straight-up told us he couldn't marry us because he had a wedding the day before as well as weekend Masses. The priest who's doing our pre-Cana is able to marry us, but he has to travel 2.5 hours the day of the wedding to do it.

You don't say this in your post, but which of you is Catholic, you or your FI? If it's your FI, he should be talking to his parish priest about getting married there. Also, you both need to look into pre-Cana, because it's a process to get your ducks in a row for a Catholic wedding. Most parishes recommend starting the pre-Cana process (getting sacramental records, getting records from other parishes, etc.) nine months in advance. If one of you isn't Catholic, you'll need to figure out that aspect, too.

I agree with PP. Either unbook this venue and try again, starting with finding the church first, or get married on Dec. 8 and resign yourself to not having a Catholic wedding.

Also, I just realized -- Dec. 8 is a holy day of obligation; you can't get married on that day regardless. The church has strict prohibitions on Sunday weddings. Your date is off-limits because it's both during Advent AND a HDO. Sorry to break that to you.

lalaith50

Wow, good catch on the Holy Day on Dec. 8. However, this year, b/c it's on a Sunday (there is some complicated bunch of rules about how this happens,) the feast day will be transferred to the Monday. 

But I think regardless, like PP's have said, yes it will be very hard, if not impossible to find a church willing to do a wedding that day, especially that it's a Sunday during Advent, which i already a very busy time for priests. You should probably start considering what your priorities are, and making other plans. FWIW, I kind of like the idea of doing the ceremony the day before, but I guess if you're going to do that, then you might as well consider doing a smaller ceremony at a regular Sunday Mass (like, where you dont necessarily invite all your guests.)

The only time I've ever seen a Sunday Catholic wedding was when the couple was very active in their parish and knew the priest personally (so he was willing to do "extra" things for them,) and they were waiting for an annulment to come through, so I think they had reason to get married ASAP once they got that.

Calypso1977

December 8th is the feast of the immaculate conception, a holy day of obligation.  you will never find a church willing to do a wedding on this date.  id change it ASAP.

agapecarrie

It's transferred to Monday and isn't obligatory this year. Dec 8 will be 2nd Sunday of Advent this year. 

lalaith50

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120913.cfm

Calypso1977

even Advent itself may present an issue tho....its like Lent.  some allow it, many dont.

HisGirlFriday13

I know that when FI and I were looked at dates, our priest told us in no uncertain terms that Sundays in Lent, Advent, Easter, and Pentecost are all off-limits. Sundays in Ordinary time only. And Saturdays during the year are fine, but only when it's not a HDO (for example, if Nov. 1 were a Saturday this year, it would be a no-go because it's All Saints' Day). He also told us that even when the feast day falls on a Sunday and is transferred to a Monday (such as with Immaculate Conception this year), most priests STILL won't do it on the Sunday because it's the holy day, even if the feast isn't until the next day. 

Resa77

I know a couple who was married on the Feast of the Assumptio, which is a HDO. They said they just had to use the readings of that day.

wittykitty14

You've gotten yourself into a pickle here.  But the only thing you can do is move forward and do what you can.  I have two options for you to consider.

1.) Can you change the reception to the day before?  Are you able to switch with the date with your venue and not lose your deposit?

2.) Keep you wedding the day you've planned, and not have a Catholic wedding (as disappointing as this would be to consider).  I would do everything you can to avoid this, especially if having a Catholic wedding is important to you.

As a guest, I would not like having the ceremony and reception on separate days, so I suggest that you avoid this as well. 

I wish I had better advice for you, OP.  Good luck!

 

maryjohnson610

If you do not want to change the reception date but want the Catholic wedding, why not have a small naptial mass or ceremony earlier on and a small reception right after? Then you could have the big reception later on Dec. 8. I love the idea of getting married on a Holy Day, especially a Marian feast, idf you can. It may be possible to find a church who allows it, as long as you can find your own priest/deacon who is available and willing. Even though it will be Advent, it is a high feast, so it could be possible.

MizLizz

Check with an Eastern Rite parish. In my area, some Eastern Rite parishes will perform Sunday weddings. I went to a Sunday wedding in a Eastern Rite parish last year. Some Eastern Rite parishes will be flexible about hosting a Roman Rite wedding, and some won't ... but it won't hurt to try

To find an Eastern Rite parish in Los Angeles area, look in the Kenedy Directory, aka the Official Directory of the Catholic Church in the United States. The Eastern Rite dioceses and archdioceses are usually placed after the Roman Rite dioceses I think Youngstown Ohio is the last Roman Rite diocese alphabetically, so the Eastern Rite diocese follow. 

Good Luck!