Attending a Mormon Wedding

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lynnanine

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Hey y’all! I’m wondering if you can help me out with something that’s been bugging me. I’m college-aged, and one of my friends that I’ve known since elementary school got engaged a few months ago. She’ll be getting married in June and previously I hadn’t thought twice about attending. However, the difficulty that I’m starting to have is that she and her fiancee are both Mormon. Do you guys know if there are any rules about attending weddings of a different faith? Particularly Mormonism. I don’t know if it’ll be in a temple or not (although my understanding is that if it was in a temple I wouldn’t be allowed in anyway). I’ll be asking my campus’ priest at some point this week, but I was wondering if you guys had any help for me. Thanks, and have a blessed day. 🙂
 
If it is in the temple, you are right, you wont be able to attend. And considering they are both LDS, and assuming they are “temple worthy” it will be in the temple.

Beyond that, the reception is a reception but without any alcohol.
 
lynnanine said:
Hey y’all! I’m wondering if you can help me out with something that’s been bugging me. I’m college-aged, and one of my friends that I’ve known since elementary school got engaged a few months ago. She’ll be getting married in June and previously I hadn’t thought twice about attending. However, the difficulty that I’m starting to have is that she and her fiancee are both Mormon. Do you guys know if there are any rules about attending weddings of a different faith? Particularly Mormonism. I don’t know if it’ll be in a temple or not (although my understanding is that if it was in a temple I wouldn’t be allowed in anyway). I’ll be asking my campus’ priest at some point this week, but I was wondering if you guys had any help for me. Thanks, and have a blessed day. 🙂
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You will not be allowed in the Temple.

Some LDS will have a “civil” wedding prior or after the Temple Sealing so friends and family who cannot enter the temple can see a wedding.

If not, then after the sealing, there will be a reception that will likely be like any other reception you have attended only without alcohol and no songs for the dance that include any sexual references. You also might have to hear a few “testimonies”
 
Darn, I had a reply but it seems to have disappeared. The gist of it was that speaking as a Catholic, Mormons aren’t technically Christians, which means in the Catholic Church, their weddings aren’t valid. At least, that’s my understanding as of right now. So is it acceptable for me to attend a reception celebrating a wedding in another faith?

I’m not sure if I’m over thinking this or not. I’ve talked to one or two people and compared to both of their reactions, I seem to be too concerned about this.
 
lynnanine said:
Darn, I had a reply but it seems to have disappeared. The gist of it was that speaking as a Catholic, Mormons aren’t technically Christians, which means in the Catholic Church, their weddings aren’t valid. At least, that’s my understanding as of right now. So is it acceptable for me to attend a reception celebrating a wedding in another faith?

I’m not sure if I’m over thinking this or not. I’ve talked to one or two people and compared to both of their reactions, I seem to be too concerned about this.
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I personally think you are too concerned about this, but if it is troubling you, chat with your priest. 🙂
 
I’m open to the idea that I might be overly concerned. That’s something that I have trouble with on things. I’m attending a “busy person’s retreat” this week, so I’ll have meetings with my priest. I do plan to bring it up at one of them. Thanks for the replies! 🙂
 
lynnanine said:
Darn, I had a reply but it seems to have disappeared. The gist of it was that speaking as a Catholic, Mormons aren’t technically Christians, which means in the Catholic Church, their weddings aren’t valid.
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This is not correct.

The unbaptized certainly do marry validly when they marry civilly, provided there are no divine law impediment such as a prior marriage.
lynnanine said:
So is it acceptable for me to attend a reception celebrating a wedding in another faith?
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In general, yes.
 
lynnanine said:
Darn, I had a reply but it seems to have disappeared. The gist of it was that speaking as a Catholic, Mormons aren’t technically Christians, which means in the Catholic Church, their weddings aren’t valid. At least, that’s my understanding as of right now.
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I don’t think this understanding is entirely correct. I think the weddings are valid in a natural sense, but not sacramental. Your position seems to imply non-Christians cannot enter marriage at all, which seems mistaken.
 
Ah okay. Thank you both for the clarification! I was still in the process of working that out mentally. I didn’t think I was quite correct, but hadn’t arrived at an understanding yet.
 
lynnanine said:
Darn, I had a reply but it seems to have disappeared. The gist of it was that speaking as a Catholic, Mormons aren’t technically Christians, which means in the Catholic Church, their weddings aren’t valid. At least, that’s my understanding as of right now. So is it acceptable for me to attend a reception celebrating a wedding in another faith?

I’m not sure if I’m over thinking this or not. I’ve talked to one or two people and compared to both of their reactions, I seem to be too concerned about this.
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Mormons (assuming they have been lifetime Mormons and not baptized converts to Mormonism) aren’t validly baptized but they can indeed marry. However, due to lack of baptism, they will be entering into a natural, not sacramental union, but it’s completely valid.

One difference though is that a natural marriage is dissoluble, that is, if one partner wishes to convert to the Catholic faith and the other does not and this results in grave difficulties for the marriage, the marriage can be dissolved. This is not the same as an annulment, this is the Pauline Privilege where a real, valid, natural marriage bond is dissolved by the Church.

In the situation described, one is permitted to attend this wedding.
 
lynnanine said:
Darn, I had a reply but it seems to have disappeared. The gist of it was that speaking as a Catholic, Mormons aren’t technically Christians, which means in the Catholic Church, their weddings aren’t valid. At least, that’s my understanding as of right now. So is it acceptable for me to attend a reception celebrating a wedding in another faith?

I’m not sure if I’m over thinking this or not. I’ve talked to one or two people and compared to both of their reactions, I seem to be too concerned about this.
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I might be wrong, but I thought weddings between two non-Catholics are presumptively valid, not invalid
 
There is absolutely no reason at all, from the point of view of the Ctholic Church, why you cannot attend a Mormon wedding.

You are free to attend the wedding of a couple in a any religious faith (or a purely civil wedding) so long as you don’t actively participate in a non-Catholic ceremony (but just watch) and so long as one of the people getting married in a non-Catholic religious marriage ceremony isn’t an ex-Catholic.
 
Lynnanine,

Just so you know and dont feel totally left out, a Mormon wedding (or sealing as they are called) isnt like most other weddings. No walking down the isle or father giving bride away or exchanging of vows (at least I dont remember an exchange)

The couple, the man who officiates and a couple of male witnesses, plus those asked to attend the sealing meet in what is known as a “sealing room”. The couple kneels across from each other at a small alter. The take each other by the hand in a special hand grip and the man who officiates says some words over them. I do believe they each get asked a question in which they answer “yes” to.

Then they are married. The exchange of rings (and even the kiss I believe) doest not happen at the alter. Those are done after the official sealing takes place.

After the official sealing takes place, they get up from the alter…Move a few steps away from it, exchange rings and a kiss.

That, from what I remember, is a Mormon sealing (wedding)

To be fair I have been out of Mormonism for a couple of decades now, so things may have chnaged.
 
Ah. I have no idea what happens at one, so thanks for letting me know! I’ve actually only been to one wedding in my life (and I was four or five) so weddings in general are a new ground for me.

As far as I’m aware, both of them have been Mormon their entire life, so I guess they’re just inviting high school friends to the reception.
You are free to attend the wedding of a couple in a any religious faith (or a purely civil wedding) so long as you don’t actively participate in a non-Catholic ceremony (but just watch) and so long as one of the people getting married in a non-Catholic religious marriage ceremony isn’t an ex-Catholic.
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This was helpful. Like I’ve said before, this will be the first wedding I’ve gone to that I’ll actually remember, so it’s a new ground and I’d never really thought about marriage before (other than something that might be off in my own future).
 
lynnanine said:
Hey y’all! I’m wondering if you can help me out with something that’s been bugging me. I’m college-aged, and one of my friends that I’ve known since elementary school got engaged a few months ago. She’ll be getting married in June and previously I hadn’t thought twice about attending. However, the difficulty that I’m starting to have is that she and her fiancee are both Mormon. Do you guys know if there are any rules about attending weddings of a different faith? Particularly Mormonism. I don’t know if it’ll be in a temple or not (although my understanding is that if it was in a temple I wouldn’t be allowed in anyway). I’ll be asking my campus’ priest at some point this week, but I was wondering if you guys had any help for me. Thanks, and have a blessed day. 🙂
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As others have said, weddings between non-Catholics are valid natural marriages. Canonical impediments and such don’t apply to non-Catholics.

From what you’ve said, it sounds like there’s absolutely no reason you can’t attend this wedding. 🙂

I mean, if there’s some intrinsic/universal impediment (like a previous marriage), then that would give you pause, but I’d be very surprised if there were: devout Mormons in my experience tend to be morally upright people. The ones I know saved themselves for marriage, and the LDS religion has quite courageously stood for traditional marriage despite the hatred they’ve had to endure for it.
 
Thanks to all again for the responses. I did actually ask my local priest about it and he explained it to me. Previously, I didn’t know much about marriage, but I understand better now. I knew that marriages in the church were sacramental, but I didn’t know how to look at marriages outside the church. The priest explained it, and said that it was fine for me to go the the reception.

Thanks again all! 🙂
 
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