My fiance and I are a younger couple relying on financial support from our families for our wedding. Everyone is more than happy to help, but we've run into some problems regarding religion and our ceremony.
I wasn't raised with any particular religious beliefs because for the first half of my life, my father was a steadfast atheist. While my mother is a Chrisitan, it was a touchy issue and we just never went to church. Anyway, when I was a preteen, my father found God and became a devout Christian and has been one ever since. I consider myself agnostic and my fiance is an atheist.
My father is...pushy when it comes to religion. You'd think he'd be understanding, seeing as he has a history of NOT being a Christian! Anyway, he really wants my fiance and I to have a religious ceremony and become members of a church. At first, I was fine with the idea of a mildly religious ceremony to please my father, but it's turned into a lot more than I had though it would. It feels disrespectful to become a member of a church when neither of us are praciting a religion and don't really plan to.
Do we just bite our tongues and go through with what my father wants, or do we abandon their help and opt for a courthouse wedding? Neither seem like good options, especially because I believe my father would be incredibly upset if we opted for a courthouse wedding. I really don't know what to do. He is an extremely difficult person to deal with and suffers from depression and mood swings- It's so hard to talk to him about anything. You never know how he's going to react!
That was crazy long, but I really hope someone out there can give me a little guidance. I'm really struggling with this.