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Catholic church wedding after 2pm near North Stonington, CT?

LondonLady22LondonLady22 member
Second Anniversary
in Connecticut
Hi All,

I'm hoping you can help me! My fiance and I just got engaged this past Sunday (hooray!) and are already trying to nail down a church and venue for our wedding. We think the venue will most likely be in North Stonington and we're hoping to have the reception at either 5pm or 6pm. The problem we're running into is finding a Catholic church in the area that will perform a ceremony around 3pm or 4pm so that our guests aren't waiting for hours between the ceremony and reception. 

Does anyone know of any churches that will perform weddings 3pm or later? I know many churches have vigils at 4 and 5pm so it can be a challenge. Alternatively, does anyone know of a local priest who is willing to officiate outside of the church? We'd be willing to do that as a last resort and have the marriage blessed later in the church.

Thanks for any help/advice!

Sarah
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Re: Catholic church wedding after 2pm near North Stonington, CT?

  • lcg06001lcg06001 member
    Second Anniversary First Comment
    Our reception is also in North Stonington (Lake of Isles) and we are getting married at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Quaker Hill (part of Waterford) which is about 25 min away from our venue. Our ceremony is at 4pm, but we are getting married on a Friday. Not sure if they would be able to accommodate the same on a Saturday due to mass schedules, could be worth an inquiry. But you may want to consider a Friday wedding which would allow more flexibility in choosing your ceremony time. 
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  • lac1252lac1252 member
    10 Comments 5 Love Its Name Dropper First Anniversary

    I can't remember for certain but I thought that the latest you can hold a ceremony at St. Patrick's in Mystic is 3pm.

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  • banana468banana468 member
    Knottie Warrior 25000 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers
    Can you also look at venues that would welcome you at 3:30 or 4 so there isn't a gap?

    You have to be married in the actual church in order for your marriage to be recognized by the Catholic Church but there may be chapels that can work.

    It's not in Stonington but in Niantic, the St. Francis Chapel is part of St. Agnes parish and I believe it's only used for Sunday service.   
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  • RIFallBrideRIFallBride member
    100 Comments Second Anniversary
    When we were considering our options in the area, our venue had recommended a church in Preston.  We were looking for non-Catholic church though.  Maybe this is an option?  We were told the Pastor there, Rev, Stanley White, always welcomes couples.  We ended up going with my hometown church so we never called but if I recall they are flexible with timing of ceremony.  GL!

    Preston     City Congregational Church
    321 Route 164
    Preston    , CT  06365
    (860) 887-4647


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  • crazylovers7983crazylovers7983
    10 Comments Name Dropper
    In all honesty, I'm okay with my guests waiting a couple hours before cocktail hour because then I can spend more time getting super fun photos taken with my wedding party and maybe have a bit of alone time with the hubby.  That's just my take on it, though.
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  • banana468banana468 member
    Knottie Warrior 25000 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers
    crazylovers7983 said:

    In all honesty, I'm okay with my guests waiting a couple hours before cocktail hour because then I can spend more time getting super fun photos taken with my wedding party and maybe have a bit of alone time with the hubby.  That's just my take on it, though.

    If you do that, please host something for your guests during that time. They're your guests from the time they get to the ceremony and it's really improper etiquette to leave them all dressed up with nothing hosted while you take photos.
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  • crazylovers7983crazylovers7983
    10 Comments Name Dropper
    If you do that, please host something for your guests during that time. They're your guests from the time they get to the ceremony and it's really improper etiquette to leave them all dressed up with nothing hosted while you take photos.
    That's a good recommendation. Thanks!
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  • kaceandpointkaceandpoint member
    Fourth Anniversary 10 Comments
    St Thomas more is right in north stonington I don't know about ceremony times tho.
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  • mbcr2015mbcr2015 member
    First Comment
    Hi Londonlady, 

    I'm actually running into the same problem now planning a 2015 wedding. Did you have any luck?
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  • hyechica81hyechica81 member
    Knottie Warrior 1000 Comments 100 Love Its First Answer
    ok with the catholic church most cut off times are between 1 and 2 we ran into that same issues fi wanted to get married in his church i wanted my church but reception is at 7. hes catholic and i am not  they said 1 pm was cut off.  we spoke to his deacon and its ok for him to get married in my church and a few months after we are married we can have a small blessing ceremony or something so his marriage is recognized in the catholic church.


    most catholic priest will not perform outside of the church unless say the priest was a relative or a good family friend
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  • banana468banana468 member
    Knottie Warrior 25000 Comments 500 Love Its 5 Answers
    Even a relative or God family friend would need dispensation to perform the marriage. Otherwise what he's doing is a violation of Church doctrine and he should be reported to the Bishop. In addition, the marriage would still not be Sacramental and therefore not recognized.
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