Do you have to get married in a church for it to be recognised in the Catholic Church?

[olivemoeono]

Hi,Okay this may sound like a naive question but here goes…
Is it possible to have a Catholic Wedding Ceremony outdoors say like in a Garden or on a Beach? instead of in the Church or does that go against Catholic Teachings?Does it still count in the eyes of The Church and God if you are Catholic?Are priests allowed to do that?
I have been asked that question and unfortunately could not give a relevant answer because I’m not 100% sure myself.So here I am
hoping someone can help me out and clear it so I can take back a definite answer!

 

[TAS2000]

It is possible, but unlikely. You would need to get a special dispensation from the archdicoese to do this, and unless you have a compelling reason, the proper place for a catholic wedding is in a church.

 

[Scottgun]

I think it’s a case of valid but illicit, but don’t quote me.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Hi,Okay this may sound like a naive question but here goes…
Is it possible to have a Catholic Wedding Ceremony outdoors say like in a Garden or on a Beach? instead of in the Church or does that go against Catholic Teachings?Does it still count in the eyes of The Church and God if you are Catholic?Are priests allowed to do that?
I have been asked that question and unfortunately could not give a relevant answer because I’m not 100% sure myself.So here I am
hoping someone can help me out and clear it so I can take back a definite answer!

It could be done if the bishop gave permission, but it’s very unlikely that a bishop would give permission.

I read something somewhere – possibly around here – that put the question another way. If you heard that a priest was being ordained in a garden or at the beach, what would you think? Wouldn’t your first reaction be how strange it is that he’s not being ordained in a church? Why wouldn’t he want to be ordained in a sacred place that’s set aside to worship God?

So why would you want something less to start off your married vocation?

 

[SMHW]

It could be done if the bishop gave permission, but it’s very unlikely that a bishop would give permission.

I read something somewhere – possibly around here – that put the question another way. If you heard that a priest was being ordained in a garden or at the beach, what would you think? Wouldn’t your first reaction be how strange it is that he’s not being ordained in a church? Why wouldn’t he want to be ordained in a sacred place that’s set aside to worship God?

So why would you want something less to start off your married vocation?

Actually I’m not so sure people today, (well, Americans anyway,) would think it so odd that a priest was being ordained on the beach. (Catholics who truly know their faith probably know better.)

I’d say that’s one of the reasons why the bishops today are so unlikely to grant a dispensation for a wedding in an outdoor situation. We have lost a sense of the importance of human built sacred places. A lot of people find the garden around the church to be more ‘sacred’ or ‘spiritual’ than the church itself.

And I’m not sure you can blame this on modern church architecture. I find just as many people who are uncomfortable with ornate traditional churches as there are those who dislike modern looking churches.

 

[ASimpleSinner]

Permissions can be granted, but a compelling reason must be presented…

The only example I can think of is about 10 years ago, when JFK Jr. got married, special permission was done to hold it in a small Protestant parish for security reasons - they did it on the sly so the media would not be hounding them…

But if you don’t have that or a similar problem, chances are pretty good permissions for a wedding outside a church will not be granted!

 

[SMHW]

The only example I can think of is about 10 years ago, when JFK Jr. got married, special permission was done to hold it in a small Protestant parish for security reasons - they did it on the sly so the media would not be hounding them…

But even in this case the permission was granted to be married in a church building, albeit not a Catholic one.

In the case where a Catholic marries a Protestant/non-denominational Christian it is not uncommon for the couple to get a dispensation to be married in the church of the non-Catholic party. This is particularly the case when the woman is the non-Catholic party since there is such a strong social tradition for weddings to take place in the church of the bride.

But dispensations for weddings outdoors, in hotels, in homes, etc. are almost never, if ever, granted.