Catholic Wedding Traditions
So what is Catholic wedding traditions really all about? The
following report includes some fascinating information about
Catholic wedding traditions--info you can use, not just the old
stuff they used to tell you.
In many cases a marriage is recognized both by a church and the
state. While the legal requirements for a wedding are
established by the state, many couple wish to follow certain
religious traditions to have their marriage recognized in their
church as well. In the Catholic religion marriage is considered
sacred and is one of the sacraments of the faith. The Catholic
Church puts forth their own requirements for a marriage to be
recognized in the eyes of the church.
One of the most important aspect of a Catholic wedding is the
location. Many couples may wish to be married in an outdoor
ceremony but it is important to realize that an outdoor wedding
would not be recognized by the Catholic Church. The purpose of
holding your wedding ceremony is to demonstrate that you are
seeking God's blessing and influence in your marriage. For this
reason the Catholic Church does not recognize any marriage
ceremonies that are held outside of a church. While you will
still be legally married in accordance with all state guidelines
your marriage will not be recognized by the church.
A Catholic wedding does not have to include a Mass as part of
the wedding. The church will recognize a union that is performed
in a church and by a priest without the full Mass. Many couples
will opt for a full Mass to have the opportunity to receive
additional blessings during their wedding. A wedding that
includes a full Mass can be slightly over an hour long in terms
of length. A wedding that does not include a Mass can be
approximately 20 minutes long and usually includes readings,
hymns and psalms as well as blessings from the priest but does
not include a celebration of the Eucharist.
Another Catholic wedding tradition requires that previous
marriages receive an annulment before the couple can be married
in the church. Even if the previous marriage was not held in the
church or recognized by the church, they still require an
annulment before they will perform a marriage ceremony. In this
situation a divorce decree is not enough. The previously married
party will have to seek an annulment that verifies that the
previous marriage was not valid.
I trust that what you've read so far has been informative. The
following section should go a long way toward clearing up any
uncertainty that may remain.
The music of a Catholic wedding also holds quite a bit of
tradition. While religious music is encouraged, many churches
will allow secular music as long as it is approved by the priest
prior to the wedding. Although there are many beautiful love
songs that have been written over time, it is important to
understand that since a Catholic wedding takes place inside of
God's domain, many priests are hesitant to allow any music that
might be offensive. They take extra precautions to ensure that
the music will be appropriate and that guests will not be
offended. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to not
include secular music in a Catholic wedding.
One additional tradition of the Catholic Church is requiring the
couple to attend pre-marital counseling sessions, sometimes
called Pre-Cana. These are extremely worthwhile because the give
the couple the forum for talking about various serious issues.
This time honored tradition of the Catholic Church goes a long
way in ensuring that the couple is right for each other and that
their marriage will last. These sessions are usually hosted by a
priest and can also include young married couples who testify to
the joys and tribulations of marriage. These can be either
individual or group sessions and include weekly or monthly
sessions or may be one intensive weekend of counseling.
Both parties do not have to be Catholic in order to have their
wedding recognized by the Catholic Church. It is required,
however, that at least one member of the couple be an active
member of a Catholic Church. The non-Catholic party, however, is
required to participate in the required pre-marital counseling
in order to ensure that the church will recognize the union.
Additionally, if either party was married previously, they would
have to seek an annulment before they could be married in the
church.
In order for a marriage to be recognized by the Catholic Church
it is important to adhere to certain traditions. These
traditions include location, music selections, seeking
annulments for previous marriages and participating in church
sanctioned counseling sessions.
Don't limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about
Catholic wedding traditions. The more you know, the easier it
will be to focus on what's important.