Should I go to bridal showers for cohabiting couples?

[LovedForever]

What is the proper response to invitations to a bridal showers for a couple that is shacking up – one of whom is a professed Catholic? It is one thing to attend the wedding (where bride-to-be is Catholic) – but what to do when they are already jumping the gun by living together and pretending they are married (not to mention causing scandal)? It seems not only presumptious to expect the traditional engagement and bridal parties in these situations, but puts friends and family in a very awkward postion. This seems to be an unfortunate and sad common situation these days. What is the proper response for those invited to these pre-wedding celebrations for Catholic brides or grooms who choose to shack up?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Could we please choose a less-inflammatory term for the couples’ behavior? Referring to their living arrangements as “shacking up,” however common that term may once have been, likely will only anger such a couple and harden them against any positive Christian witness you might offer. A more contemporary and less-inflammatory term is cohabit.

As to your question, although it can be detrimental to the success of a marriage, cohabitation is not an impediment to marriage in and of itself and marriage is in fact one of the solutions to such an immoral living arrangement. If you choose to attend and celebrate the marriage of a couple who has been cohabiting but is otherwise validly marrying, I see no reason why you cannot also attend the related celebrations of that marriage.

Recommended reading:

What are the rules for attending weddings?