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Inviting Priest to Wedding? Rehearsal Dinner? Advice Please!

pprendipprendi member
10 Comments
in Catholic Weddings
We are getting married in a Church in which we are not parishioners. We have only met the priest once and will meet for the second time at our wedding. Should we invite him to the wedding and the rehearsal dinner even though he doesn't really know us or our families? I would like to do the proper thing.
Any advice would be helpful.
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Re: Inviting Priest to Wedding? Rehearsal Dinner? Advice Please!

  • unplainjaneunplainjane member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    yes invite him to both. i think often they can't attend. we are getting married at a church OOT where we are not parishers and invited both our local priest and the priest that is marrying us. though they both declined as they both have mass early saturday evening.
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  • Meg1036Meg1036
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We don't have much of a relationship with the priest marrying us, but we did invite him to both the rehearsal dinner and reception.  He declined.
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  • Jay&MarissaJay&Marissa
    1000 Comments Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Ours drove in from another city--we invited them (he brought his priest buddy, so we had 2 priests--it was awesome) to both the rehearsal and the reception. They attended the rehearsal, but declined the reception due to schedules. We would have liked to have them there, though. I say invite him.
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  • lisa89760lisa89760 member
    Fourth Anniversary 500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    My uncle (who is our priest) usually does not go to the rehersal dinner or the reception of the weddings he does unless he has a very close relationship with the couple.  The wedding coordinator at the church actually told me not to except him to come to my rehersal, but he is coming of course!

    That being said, I would still invite him as it's the nice thing to do but just don't except him to come.
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  • doctabroccolidoctabroccoli member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Ours was invited to both, and he attended both, even though we didn't have much of an existing relationship with him (we got married at my parents' parish in my hometown instead of my current city/parish).
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  • professorscienceprofessorscience member
    5000 Comments Third Anniversary 25 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited December 2011
    I think you should invite him.  He's only celebrating one of the most important days for you as a couple.  

    That said, I remember seeing on this board once that a priest mentioned to a bride that he didn't like going to weddings because he was always always always seated with old folks and was asked the same questions over and over again.  We're inviting several priests, and if they all come, we may put them together, but we also thought about dispersing them with some younger families.
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  • Calypso1977Calypso1977 member
    Knottie Warrior 2500 Comments 25 Love Its First Answer
    edited December 2011
    priest should be invted to the RD and the wedding.  he'll most likely decline if he doesnt know you well (or if he's just plain busy), but he should still be invited.
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  • bibliophile2010bibliophile2010 member
    1000 Comments Third Anniversary Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    edited December 2011
    Ours is a good friend, and was invited to both. He was not able to attend the RD because of other committments, but was the talk of the reception. He had a great time dancing 'til the bitter end. He was seated with other friends -- people that he knows, just like any other guest.
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  • lmeade62lmeade62
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Our priest is invited to the reception, though I doubt he'll go since the wedding is at 1:00 and the reception scheduled to begin at 3. He'll just be getting back from being out of the country a few days before the wedding, so he probably will want to rest up  before Vigil at 5:00.

    Our situation is a little different with regard to our rehearsal - since my FI can't pick up his son until Friday evening and has a three hour drive here, we are actually having the rehearsal about a week and a half before the wedding. Then we are having a family brunch the morning after the wedding. I'm very excited about that because brunch is my favorite meal, and since it's after the wedding, I'll actually get to eat! LOL. But if we were having a typical rehearsal dinner, we would definitely invite him - but then again, he's the priest at the church we regularly attend, and where I cantor.

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  • mica178mica178 member
    5000 Comments Fourth Anniversary 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_catholic-weddings_inviting-priest-wedding-rehearsal-dinner-advice-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:615Discussion:1d26abe6-5208-47a4-800c-99f95974b035Post:3f134b13-205e-4d66-bbef-f6df844c6f83">Re: Inviting Priest to Wedding? Rehearsal Dinner? Advice Please!</a>:
    [QUOTE]priest should be invted to the RD and the wedding.  he'll most likely decline if he doesnt know you well (or if he's just plain busy), but he should still be invited.
    Posted by Calypso1977[/QUOTE]

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