Can non-Catholics be attendants and witnesses of a Catholic marriage?

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MusherMaggie

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Is it permissible to have non-Catholic bridesmaids and/or groomsmen? Are a certain number of Catholic witnesses required?
 
From a spiritual and liturgical point of view, everyone attending your wedding serves as witnesses. However, in order for the marriage to be valid, two people besides the presider must serve as official witnesses. (Witnesses are usually required for a marriage to be recognized under civil law as well.) The names of the witnesses are included in the Church’s record of the marriage. The Church will recognize any two people as witnesses, although traditionally the best man and the maid (or matron) of honor serve in that capacity. The witnesses do not need to be Catholic, or even baptized.

http://www.catholicweddinghelp.com/wedding-planning/09-choose-roles.htm#witnesses
 
It is fine to have non-Catholic bridesmaids or groomsmen. We had a Baptist couple (my husband’s brother and his wife) as our best man and matron of honor. They also served as our official witnesses.

If you are having a Mass and want someone from your family or wedding party to serve as a lector and do readings, check with your priest as that task might require a Catholic. I remember we had two Catholics doing our Mass readings.
 
The only Catholic women at my wedding were my bank and two elderly aunts, I wonder if they would have been up for being bridesmaids 😁
 
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