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Is this possible? Catholics, help!

Beanwedding2Beanwedding2
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in Catholic Weddings
I am trying to plan a wedding for February-- just for all honesty-- I'm pregnant and we are over the moon happy about it. Is there Any possible way to p,an a Catholic wedding in less than 6 months?

We want to plan now and have it Feb 9th. Anyone know how to do a speedy Catholic wedding?

I appreciate your help:)
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Re: Is this possible? Catholics, help!

  • Riss91Riss91 member
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    I responded to your post on the Ceremony Board - but just wanted to say Congrats on your bundle of joy!!!

    Feb 9th is just before Ash Wednesday (beginning of Lent - typically weddings aren't allowed during Lent), I don't think there is a problem with the date. The priest will have to ensure there aren't any impediments to your marriage.

    Have either of you been married before (civilly or religiously)?

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  • agapecarrieagapecarrie member
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    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_is-this-possible-catholics-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:4ffb6f8d-1d18-44b1-acba-a761d604db4ePost:61c00c16-1d0b-436a-a58d-fc46178d2eba">Is this possible? Catholics, help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]I am trying to plan a wedding for February-- just for all honesty-- I'm pregnant and we are over the moon happy about it. Is there Any possible way to p,an a Catholic wedding in less than 6 months? We want to plan now and have it Feb 9th. Anyone know how to do a speedy Catholic wedding? I appreciate your help:)
    Posted by Beanwedding2[/QUOTE]

    <div>You must go see a priest immediately. Depending on circumstances, there may be some leniencey with time, but most of the time, the minimum 6 months is there for many good reasons. They will also want to make sure you have discerned marriage in general, not just having to do with the new child. This isn't just about a wedding, this is about good preparation for a lasting marriage. </div>
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  • lalaith50lalaith50 member
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    Not likely. Most Catholic dioceses require at LEAST 6 months from when you first meet with the priest, in fact some require 9 months. And being pregnant complicates things further - although you can say that you are happy being pregnant and that it isn't influencing your decision to get married, and that may even be completely true, in many cases people feel extra pressure to get married or get married faster because they are pregnant. One of the huge requirements for a valid Catholic wedding is that you NOT be pressured. Many priests will be reluctant to marry you at all while pregnant, since even if you say there is no added pressure from that fact, there is no way to be sure about that, especially since it appears from your brief post that the pregnancy might be part of the reason that you want to get married extra fast. :-(
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  • Riss91Riss91 member
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    Agree with pp, unless you were engaged/intending to be married before you found out about the pregnancy...

    Is there are reason why you couldn't wait until after the baby is born to be married? Just an FYI - the Church would not have a problem with that.

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  • professorscienceprofessorscience member
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    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_is-this-possible-catholics-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:4ffb6f8d-1d18-44b1-acba-a761d604db4ePost:8dc45159-c08c-426e-86a7-cce85e1799ea">Re: Is this possible? Catholics, help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]Agree with pp, unless you were engaged/intending to be married before you found out about the pregnancy... <strong>Is there are reason why you couldn't wait until after the baby is born to be married? Just an FYI - the Church would not have a problem with that.</strong>
    Posted by Riss91[/QUOTE]

    <div>I was going to ask this, as well.  The parish where we were married told us that they always advise pregnant couples to wait until after the baby comes.</div>
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  • Beanwedding2Beanwedding2
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    Thank you so much for the helpful responses! I was hoping to hear that someone out there had successfully had a "quicker" Catholic wedding, but 6 months seems to be a minimum for the U.S. ( I saw in Dominican Republic you could do it in 2 months for a Catholic Church). Still appreciate any responses if anyone was able to do a quicker Catholic wedding. ** Also, this is a first marriage for both of us and both have communion/confirmation, if anyone has an idea if that helps. Thanks!!
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  • Calypso1977Calypso1977 member
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    we had a very short (by today's standards, anyway) engagement - 7 months.  the whole thign was planned within a month and our precana was 3 sessions with the priest that were all done within 1 months' time.

    i think the 6 months is more to make sure that you are prepared with no impediments.

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  • Beanwedding2Beanwedding2
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    Well, we wanted the "wedding" to happen, so we could totally focus on baby stuff after. We talked about trying to do-- some ceremony first, then real wedding in church after baby-- but I just wanted to check out anecdotal opinions on here to see if anyone successfully did it quicker... I guess we could have some kind of "celebration", then have a church wedding after...
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  • agapecarrieagapecarrie member
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    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_is-this-possible-catholics-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:4ffb6f8d-1d18-44b1-acba-a761d604db4ePost:fae287c5-0905-48fb-b1d5-e0cec8231c6d">Re: Is this possible? Catholics, help!</a>:
    [QUOTE]Well, we wanted the "wedding" to happen, so we could totally focus on baby stuff after. We talked about trying to do-- some ceremony first, then real wedding in church after baby-- but I just wanted to check out anecdotal opinions on here to see if anyone successfully did it quicker... I guess we could have some kind of "celebration", then have a church wedding after...
    Posted by Beanwedding2[/QUOTE]

    <div>Nope, don't do this. This is a serious offense against the church, and puts you out of the state of grace and you can't receive the sacraments. If you do some sort of "legal" tying first, then there will be even more concern about your freedom when it comes time for a convalidation, if you can even get one.</div><div>
    </div><div>If the priest is saying hold off, he is doing so for good reason. Please follow his counsel.</div>
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  • Riss91Riss91 member
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    I agree with Carrie - if your priest is asking you to wait, don't do any ceremony until then. It causes so much more trouble. If your priest is comfortable with your intent and doesn't see any impediments, you might be able to be married by then.

    Let us know what he says! Best of luck and many blessings!

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  • Resa77Resa77
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    Why do you need the celebration to happen before the wedding?  The reason I ask is because the Catholic Church requires that Catholics be married in the church.  If you have a civil wedding, that could cause problems with you getting your marriage convalidated (recognized by the Church) later.

    As for the 6 month time frame -- talk to the priest.  I've known a few people who got married faster than this, so it's worth a shot!

     

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  • bibliophile2010bibliophile2010 member
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    I've known a couple of couples who were married in a shorter time than required (we are a 9 month diocese here), but both were couples who were very involved with their parishes, well known to the priests, and known in advance to be discerning marriage actively, not rushing into things.

    I agree with PPs that, especially with the baby, it is probably more appropriate to wait, and if your priest is telling you this, I definitely agree with the advice to listen to him.

    Congrats on both your engagement and the baby, by the way! :)
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