Catholic wedding: two ceremonies?

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I have a Catholic friend and co-worker who is videotaping a wedding. The bride is Catholic but the groom is not, and about 75% of the guests are non-Catholic. He said they are having two ceremonies: One ceremony with everybody in a short mass with no communion. They will have another mass with the bride and groom doing the communion.
Is it the norm for Catholic weddings, to have a separate ceremony without communion for those who are non-Catholic? I’ve never attended a Catholic wedding, but have attended a number of funerals, and have never heard of non-Catholics being excluded in this way (not allowed to take communion, yes, but still allowed to be present for the entire Mass.
 
Usually when the bride or the groom is not Catholic the preference is for a Marriage Rite within a Liturgy of the Word (not a ‘short Mass with no Communion’) which emphasizes the things they have in common rather than during a Nuptial Mass which emphasizes their differences.

I’ve never heard of the set-up you describe. The couple attending Mass earlier in the day or later in the day I could see, but not a second ‘marriage ceremony’.
 
One ceremony with everybody in a short mass with no communion.
There’s no such thing as a "short mass with no communion."
 
A Catholic is not permitted to have two ceremonies, it is Canon Law.

Perhaps your friend is mistaken, and they are having marriage ceremony and then a Mass later in the day (just a regular Mass, not a nuptual mass)?
 
RNRobert said:
I have a Catholic friend and co-worker who is videotaping a wedding. The bride is Catholic but the groom is not, and about 75% of the guests are non-Catholic. He said they are having two ceremonies: One ceremony with everybody in a short mass with no communion. They will have another mass with the bride and groom doing the communion.
Is it the norm for Catholic weddings, to have a separate ceremony without communion for those who are non-Catholic? I’ve never attended a Catholic wedding, but have attended a number of funerals, and have never heard of non-Catholics being excluded in this way (not allowed to take communion, yes, but still allowed to be present for the entire Mass.
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Usually a Rite of Marriage without Mass is used when a majority of those in attendance are not Catholic.

Canon Law forbids two Marriage Rites at different places or times.

Can. 1127~3 It is forbidden to have, either before or after the canonical celebration in accordance with~1, another religious celebration of the same marriage for the purpose of giving or renewing matrimonial consent. Likewise, there is not to be a religious celebration in which the catholic assistant and a non-catholic minister, each performing his own rite, ask for the consent of the parties.
 
My friend may have misspoke- It may have been a wedding service followed by a regular Mass.
 
A Mass isn’t a Mass unless the Liturgy of the Eucharist and Rite of Communion is celebrated.
 
RNRobert said:
…have never heard of non-Catholics being excluded in this way (not allowed to take communion, yes, but still allowed to be present for the entire Mass.
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forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=368205 was put up a week ago to talk about catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9901fea1.asp
The rewrite also goes to great lengths to say that non-Christians and Christians not in communion with the Church are welcome to come to Mass, but it’s not nearly so clear as it used to be on the fact that they may not receive the Eucharist.
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That’s apparently the way it’s supposed to be – non-Catholics are welcome to be present for the entire Mass, but they are not allowed to take communion. It’s the same in my church – non-members are welcome to come for the whole thing, but they may not take the sacrament.
 
When I was married in the Catholic Church (given the proper dispensations, as my husband was not Catholic), the only Catholics present at the wedding were myself and the priest. Before the marriage, the priest told me that given the circumstances, it would be best to have a Rite of Marriage without a Mass as no one in the congregation would likely understand the Mass. He said he would celebrate a Nuptial Mass if I requested it, but under the circumstances it did not seem right. We went ahead with a simple Rite of Marriage, which is of course considered binding in the Catholic Church. (unfortunately, we are not longer married, which is an argument for not marrying outside one’s faith, but that would be a subject for another post. ) Peace be with you.

Oh, by the way, having learned by sad experience, I cannot emphasize too strongly the importance of marriage preparation. If there is ANYTHING bothering you about the relationship or your own ability to committ to a sacramental marriage, do not hesitate to bring it up during the time of preparation., Better to address those issues before than after. Putting off a marriage or canceling it altogether is better than a later divorce or annulment. That’s probably another subject…I am merely speaking from experience.
Please do not tell the priest or the couples who are assisting in preparation what you think they want to hear. When I married, I was on the verge of going down the aisle on my father’s arm and the only thing going through my head was “you are making a big mistake.” Three years later I was divorced.
 
ML561 said:
When I was married in the Catholic Church (given the proper dispensations, as my husband was not Catholic), the only Catholics present at the wedding were myself and the priest. Before the marriage, the priest told me that given the circumstances, it would be best to have a Rite of Marriage without a Mass as no one in the congregation would likely understand the Mass. He said he would celebrate a Nuptial Mass if I requested it, but under the circumstances it did not seem right. We went ahead with a simple Rite of Marriage, which is of course considered binding in the Catholic Church. (unfortunately, we are not longer married, which is an argument for not marrying outside one’s faith, but that would be a subject for another post. ) Peace be with you.
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That’s probably what happened at the wedding my friend was videotaping.
ML561 said:
Oh, by the way, having learned by sad experience, I cannot emphasize too strongly the importance of marriage preparation. If there is ANYTHING bothering you about the relationship or your own ability to committ to a sacramental marriage, do not hesitate to bring it up during the time of preparation., Better to address those issues before than after. Putting off a marriage or canceling it altogether is better than a later divorce or annulment. That’s probably another subject…I am merely speaking from experience.
Please do not tell the priest or the couples who are assisting in preparation what you think they want to hear. When I married, I was on the verge of going down the aisle on my father’s arm and the only thing going through my head was “you are making a big mistake.” Three years later I was divorced.
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I’ve never been married myself, and from seeing the troubles other people have had, I’m in no rush to get hitched…
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
Usually a Rite of Marriage without Mass is used when a majority of those in attendance are not Catholic.

Canon Law forbids two Marriage Rites at different places or times.

Can. 1127~3 It is forbidden to have, either before or after the canonical celebration in accordance with~1, another religious celebration of the same marriage for the purpose of giving or renewing matrimonial consent. Likewise, there is not to be a religious celebration in which the catholic assistant and a non-catholic minister, each performing his own rite, ask for the consent of the parties.
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As I read this, am I correct to assume to that Catholics can not renew their vows?
 
RNRobert said:
I have a Catholic friend and co-worker who is videotaping a wedding. The bride is Catholic but the groom is not, and about 75% of the guests are non-Catholic. He said they are having two ceremonies: One ceremony with everybody in a short mass with no communion. They will have another mass with the bride and groom doing the communion.
Is it the norm for Catholic weddings, to have a separate ceremony without communion for those who are non-Catholic? I’ve never attended a Catholic wedding, but have attended a number of funerals, and have never heard of non-Catholics being excluded in this way (not allowed to take communion, yes, but still allowed to be present for the entire Mass.
Click to expand...
If the groom is not Catholic, normally the wedding would be done outside the mass, which is completely perissable. the second ceremony is likely not another wedding ceremony, but the bride going to Mass so that she may receive Communion since she is Catholic. If both bride and groom are Catholic, then a nuptial mass is done and the couple receive communion together during the mass. the guests who are Catholic and in a state of grace would be invited to receive, also . Non Catholic guests would be expected to remain respectfully in their seats.
 
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