Ceremony Location Question

brianabrad · December 2010

Hello Ladies! I hoping one of you will be able to offer some insight in regards to a question I have. I know I will need to ask our Father for the ultimate decision but I thought I would ask here first so I have an idea of what to expect.

Let me start by saying that we have already spoken to our Fr. and set a date in July. We have complete all our pre-cana as well. Fi is Catholic and I am no, so we will not have a mass during our ceremony.

My question is would it be possible for us to have the ceremony in a location other than the church? Say for example in the same location as our reception?

Will a priest do this? Is it possible? Will my Father totally laugh in my face if I ask? (j/k on that last one . . mostly)

TIA!

[Deleted User] · December 2010

Under normal circumstances, a Catholic ceremony, (regardless of mass or no mass) cannot be performed outside of the church. Yes, you could definitely ask your priest about it, but just be prepared for a "no."

Also, you may want to check out catholicweddinghelp.com as it may answer some of the questions you may have if you are starting to plan your ceremony.

brianabrad · December 2010

Thanks for the answer. That is kind of what I thought but I think we will still ask. I'm hoping to catch our Father on a good day. :-)

agapecarrie · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_ceremony-location-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:8cb7f6bb-36a4-4905-a6b2-1f9a3f0f67afPost:db2e8978-532b-4862-a834-246797abff69">Re: Ceremony Location Question</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks for the answer. That is kind of what I thought but I think we will still ask. I'm hoping to catch our Father on a good day. :-)
Posted by brianabrad[/QUOTE]

This isn't something that a faithful priest would allow, even on a "good day".

The importance of the walls of the church building is crucial to the understanding of the bigger church community (it is explained well in "the spirit of the liturgy" written by Ratzinger (now pope benedict).

A catholic must marry according to form, and that is in a catholic church. They can get a dispensation from this for a good reason, and having it at the same place as the reception is not. (An example is when one of the couple's father is a pastor of a protestant church).

jkgomez · December 2010

I asked one of our priest from a retreat I did, since we had a Mass outside. He said that it is up to the diocese of the city. It is "supposed" to take place in a Church for the "sanctity of marriage", but it's up to the priest if he is willing. Check with your Archdiocese first, then the priest. .Good luck. Hope you get your wish

SaraAndrew2010 · December 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_ceremony-location-question?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:8cb7f6bb-36a4-4905-a6b2-1f9a3f0f67afPost:3d114a36-90fe-4c8f-ae6f-6c1790f7d8fe">Re: Ceremony Location Question</a>:
[QUOTE]I asked one of our priest from a retreat I did, since we had a Mass outside. He said that it is up to the diocese of the city. It is "supposed" to take place in a Church for the "sanctity of marriage", but it's up to the priest if he is willing. Check with your Archdiocese first, then the priest. .Good luck. Hope you get your wish
Posted by jkgomez[/QUOTE]

It's not just up to the priest if he is willing to perform a marriage ceremony outside of a church. It requires special dispensation from the bishop.

banana468 · December 2010

Ditto PPs.

This isn't something you can get on a "good day" like the keys to Dad's BMW if you ask nicely. There are serious rules about whether or not something like this is going to be allowed.

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