church weddngs

[helen79]

my partner and i are planning to get marred aug 2010 and are hoping for a church wedding. he is catholic and i am christian but neither of us currently attend church or chapel. it is important for us both to have a church wedding. we were wodering if we could get married in any church or would we only be able to do this in a local church? i have seen a church that i want to get married in but have no idea what type of church it is? also how would the catholic - christian thing work? if any body has been thro a similar situation or knows how this work please let me know. i am in wales, so dont know if the laws are different from eng and scot.
any info appreciated thank you
helen79

[chinadog]

My friends daughter got married 3 weeks ago helen. She is catholic and her now hubby a protestant. They got married in an Anglican church,similair to both. They live in Wales and me!

[helen79]

where? lol. do u have to live in the parish of an anglican church or attend there??

[wolf63]

Are Catholics not christians too?

[terambulan]

You need to be catholic to wed in a catholic church. The non-catholic marrying a catholic is required to take brief instruction on the faith; to accept that children are expected to be reared in the faith, no divorce, no contraception. To use the curch to wed you would have to attend mass regularly for 6w prior to the wedding banns. A civil registrar is also required - organised by the priest.

To use a C of E church you simply book it but will be expected to attend services prior to the ceremony.

[caththecrazy]

Why wouldn't you want to get married in your local church/chapel?

Technically you will need to reside in the parish for a number of weeks before the wedding. Where is the church you have seen?

If you marry in a catholic church you will certainly need to attend pre marriage classes in most cases and I believe that is also the case in most other churches but I don't know about chapel.

During a catholic service you will need to agree to bring any children up in the catholic faith.

I'm abit unsure why you actually want to marry in a church which you've seen but you don't know what sort of church it is. Most churches inside do have details of their parish etc and you would be able to ascertain what denomination it was. Have you only seen the church from the outside?

[helen79]

are c of e same as anglican churches?? i have no idea as i went to chapel when i was younger and they only married people from the smell village that i lived in at the time. i havent really looked into it at all yet but whats the difference between a cotholic ceremony and an anglican church one? religeon really confuses me

[helen79]

sorry thats small village not smell village!

the church was in penclawdd near swansea

[tubachub]

terambulan you dont have to be catholic to wed in there church.

Both partners do not have to be a Catholic in order to be sacramentally married in the Catholic Church, but both must be christened Christians (and at least one must be a Catholic). Non-Christians cannot receive the sacraments. For a Catholic to marry a non-Catholic Christian, express permission is required from his or her priest. A Catholic can marry an unbaptized person, but such marriages are natural marriages only; they are not sacramental marriages. The Church, therefore, discourages them and requires a Catholic who wishes to marry an unbaptized person to receive a special dispensation from his or her priest. Still, if the dispensation is granted, a non-sacramental marriage is valid and can take place inside of a Catholic church.

[tubachub]

are c of e same as anglican churches?? i have no idea as

helen yes they are the same an anglican church is higher then a C OF E church,

[Buenchico]

I'm an atheist but, even so, I'm concerned that you think 'Catholic' is different to 'Christian'!!!

The Church of England has a presence in Wales. Its rules and procedure are here:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents/weddin gs/

The Church in Wales has information about marriage here:
http://www.churchinwales.org.uk/life/marriage/

The Catholic Church in England and Wales has relevant information here:
http://www.catholicchurch.org.uk/ccb/catholic_ church/how_do_i/get_married_in_the_catholic_ch urch

If you don't truly believe that Christ died on the cross (to atone for your sins), was reincarnated and then lifted up to heaven, you shouldn't be getting married in any church. (How can you possibly start your married life with a lie?). If you don't also believe that the Pope is God's representative on Earth (and is completely infallible, including when he says that you should never use any form of contraception) you shouldn't even consider getting married in a Roman Catholic church.

Chris

[helen79]

thanks tub i am a christened christian and my partner is catholic, however he is divorced, and we both have a child from a previous relationship, mine is christened. i am not sure about his. where would we stand with this?


thanks everyone for your answers

[helen79]

yes i do believe in all that christ did, but was not brought up with any views on the pope! this is why i get confused. because he is catholic, i was unsure of how things worked.

[TCL-MUMPING]

It seems odd that it is important to you both that you marry in church yet there seems to be little understanding of religion on your part at least.

Roman Catholics are Christians too and you want to marry in a church that could be Greek Orthodox for all you know,

[caththecrazy]

I'm catholic and as it stands now many priests will not marry a divorced catholic in the church, only in certain cases. They need permission from the bishop.

I think the divorced person has to prove that the other person entered the marriage for the wrong reason. However , they will bless a marriage.

You need to think about this carefully as you don't seem very clear on what you want.

[terambulan]

Am convent reared but a lapsed catholic. My OH was C of E (both faiths are Christian as they believe in Christ). My OH agreed with everything the priest instructed to have the wedding + registrar then lived our own non-religious, sinning life! Our children weren't christened till it was necessary for certain schools. I am not an example of good-living, just older and than you helen79. Whichever church you're happiest in is the best place for your wedding......good luck for a long union.

[caththecrazy]

Think now the rules have changed though terambulan.
I only married nearly 6 years ago in a catholic church and my cousin is currently going to pre wedding classes for her September wedding at the same church.

Think Helen your biggest hurdle will be a priest obtaining permission to marry a divorced catholic. I'm assuming his first wedding was in a catholic church? If it wasn't then that will be different.

[tubachub]

helen in answer to your question.

Divorced Catholics can be remarried in the Church only if it has been proved through Church process that they are free to marry. This also applies to non-Catholics who wish to marry a Catholic or become Catholic. All parties (Catholic or non-Catholic) who approach the Catholic Church for marriage must be determined free from any prior bond of marriage you have to obtain an annulment,as proff

ANNULMENT
You can only apply after your divorce is final. Go to a parish near you or the church and ask for the application form. A priest, deacon or pastoral staff person will assist you with the process. You do not need to be a member of the parish in order to apply for an annulment. However, you should apply within the diocese where you live, or where you were married.