Outside ceremony vs Church ceremony

Re: Outside ceremony vs Church ceremony

• doctabroccoli member

  

  August 2011 edited December 2011

  Welcome Daisy!
  
  The short answer: no.  A Catholic wedding is required 99.999% of the time to be in a Church.
  
  Whether or not you decide to have a Catholic ceremony or an outdoor religious ceremony is really a personal decision that you and your FI need to make on your own.
  
  This is a post and run, so other posters can expand a bit more into why this is .

  
  Waiting to meet the baby broccoli on 5/5/2013!

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• ootmother2 member

  

  August 2011 edited December 2011

  In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_outside-ceremony-vs-church-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:615Discussion:90b1773b-436f-4d8a-a565-a46ff1010282Post:19a774a4-4546-4a51-85e2-5e342e015d0c">Outside ceremony vs Church ceremony</a>:
  [QUOTE]I am undecided in having an outdoor ceremony or a church ceremony and I'm debating on certain factors.  Do priests allow or approve of an outdoor catholic ceremony?   If it is an outdoor ceremony, does it count as being catholic?
  Posted by DaisyJaime[/QUOTE]
  
  First, welcome to the board :)
  
  As Docta said, if you want a wedding recognized by the Catholic Church, it must be held inside a church.  If your FI is a different religion, you may get a dispensation to have the wedding there with a priest co officiating. 
  
  Unfortunately, outdoor Catholic ceremonies aren't allowed.
  
  You have to discuss this with your FI and decide what's best for you.  You know that a wedding outside the Church will cut you off from the sacraments.
  
  Good luck!

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• HandBanana member

  

  August 2011 edited December 2011

  If it helps you to decide, ask your priest to explain to you the importance of the physical church in the Catholic ceremony and why it is not done outside.
  
  I'm not as eloquent or well versed as some knotties.  It has a lot to do with the act being sacred because it is in the church.  It also has to the do with the church itself acting as a witness to the commitment you are making.

  

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• mica178 member

  

  August 2011 edited December 2011

  Catholic-approved outdoor ceremonies are exceedingly rare.
  
  Could you compromise?  Have an outdoor reception?  Find a church with big picture windows so that you see the outdoors?  Our church has a beautiful outdoor area for pictures, and there isn't a ton of stained glass, so you see the surrounding trees when you are sitting inside.
  
  
  
  

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• DaisyJaime member

  

  August 2011 edited December 2011

  Thank you so much to all of you guys for your input and responses, I greatly appreciate your  honest opinions. It really helped in knowing the proper procedures. I will definitely speak to our church priest about that when I choose an actual date.. I will stick to having the ceremony in our church. Thanks again!

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• bibliophile2010 member

  

  August 2011 edited December 2011

  In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_outside-ceremony-vs-church-ceremony?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:90b1773b-436f-4d8a-a565-a46ff1010282Post:c2277d9c-5776-4ea8-9294-56680cf7171f">Re: Outside ceremony vs Church ceremony</a>:
  [QUOTE]Thank you so much to all of you guys for your input and responses, I greatly appreciate your  honest opinions. It really helped in knowing the proper procedures. I will definitely speak to our church priest about that when I choose an actual date.. I will stick to having the ceremony in our church. Thanks again!
  Posted by DaisyJaime[/QUOTE]
  
  I would recommend talking to your church before "picking a date." You should know what dates are available at your parish in order to make that decision. You should also make sure that you will have time to complete Marriage Prep classes/meetings/etc. It also saves you the heartache of booking the "perfect" reception location only to find that your parish already has a wedding scheduled that day.

  

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