To go or not to go? Wedding question

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I’ve been invited to a wedding and I’m not sure if I should go.
The woman getting married is a fallen away Catholic and she and her fiancé will be married in a non-religious building, by the his (the fiance’s) father, in what I’m assuming will be a non-religious ceremony. I think it will be very non-traditional, just from knowing her.
She’s not an extremely close friend but she’s really sweet and has helped me in theater. I’m rather surprised I was invited. I know at least one other person who was invited and might go.

I saw an article on Catholic Answers that said Catholics can attend any Catholic, non-Catholic, and non-Christian wedding as long as it is valid. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/to-attend-or-not-to-attend

I think this wedding meets all the requirements there but I was just wondering what your opinions are? I don’t think I’d be heartbroken if I shouldn’t attend but I should make a decision since it’s in mid-October.

EDIT: I wanted to add that I’m not sure if she considers herself a Christian at all and I’m not sure of the beliefs of her fiancé. And I’m 99% sure neither have been married and it’s definitely not a same-sex union.
 
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If you have to ask, you already know the answer. No it would not be valid since she is Catholic and marrying outside the Church. An example of a valid non-Catholic wedding would involve say two lifelong and previously unmarried Lutherans marrying in a Lutheran service. Whether she considers herself anything or not is irrelevant; she is a Catholic and all she would need to do to “come home” is go to confession, though it would become more complicated for her to do so after marrying outside the Church.
 
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You should attend. Only God knows their hearts and who knows, God may reach them through you.
 
That is precisely why she shouldn’t go; ONLY God knows her heart. We cannot judge the internal culpability of a person, only external actions. In this case, it is a external action is evil, and thus she should not attend.
 
With all due respect, just because someone asks a question does not mean that the answer is always the negative one.

I thought that perhaps this would be considered a valid non-Catholic or non-Christian ceremony because they are not with the Church. I was only asking.

I will more than likely not attend.
 
Seems to me the woman in question getting married is the one lacking grace, since she (in her mind) left the Church and all. God Himself instituted the “box;” it’s called the Catholic Church.
 
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Footprints said:
I think this wedding meets all the requirements
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She is a Catholic. Fallen away or not, she is bound by Catholic canon law.

So, no, this wouldn’t be a valid marriage unless she went through Catholic marriage prep and received a dispensation from form.

You should talk to your pastor if you aren’t sure if you should attend.
 
Okay, I didn’t know she was still bound. It would figure though, considering she’s more than likely received Communion and Confirmation as well as Baptism in the Church.
 
I think when it comes to whether or not a Catholic should attend a wedding or not because of particular circumstances such as here; if the question has to be asked the answer usually will be in the negative. I know an entire family who wouldn’t attend their sibling’s/son’s/grandson’s wedding because they eloped and married outside the Church.

Moreover there is no “leaving the Church.” Once a Catholic, always a Catholic. Even if one hasn’t attended Mass in 50 years, most likely all they’ll need to do to again be in good standing is to make a good confession.
 
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Go, pray for them. At least they are forming a union. You can broach the topic of baptising their kids down the track. All roads eventually lead to God.
 
I know the Church teaches that anyone baptized as a Catholic is a Catholic for life.
I know the Church teaches that every Catholic (even one who would shout from the mountaintops that they are not Catholic) are bound to follow the Church’s rules for marriage, which include getting married in a Catholic church.
I know the Church teaches that faithful Catholics are not to attend the weddings of people who Church claims as Catholics if those people don’t get married in a Catholic church.

It just all feels like a lesser form of shunning practiced by some other faiths and denominations. Folks have to understand that to non-Catholics claiming someone is a Catholic despite not believing in Catholicism is no different than claiming someone is Wicca after attending a séance. I get the point about the indelible mark on the soul, but you can’t just say that person is a Catholic in the same way you call someone a Baptist (someone who believes and follows the Baptist faith) or a Hindu (someone who believes and follows the Hindu faith).

One can say to a person who no longer considers themselves a Catholic that they feel they are making a mistake faith-wise. They can point out their reasoning why they should believe. It’s when a person says, “I want you to be a part of this magical moment where I commit my life to the person I love the most,” and the other responds that they can’t because it’s not in a Church or they won’t commit to raising their kids Catholic – that’s not compassion. We can be in disagreement with people who believe differently yet still share in their joy and love in the biggest moment of their lives.
 
Mike_from_NJ said:
I know the Church teaches that faithful Catholics are not to attend the weddings of people who Church claims as Catholics if those people don’t get married in a Catholic church.
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You don’t know quite as much as you may think you do. The Church does not teach that. Even if the appropriate dispensation is not granted, it is a matter of prudential judgment.
 
It doesn’t sound like you know this couple very well at all. You do not need to judge them or speculate on their potentially ‘non-traditional’ wedding ceremony. Whether you should attend is really up to prudential judgment. Is there something about this wedding that would cause scandal? Could your friendship possibly lead this woman back to the Church?
 
I didn’t go in the same situation. I did send a text wishing the couple well. I still have a relationship with them so it seems to have been a successful method of dealing with it.
 
Go to the wedding and pray that through God’s grace she will once again find him in his church. Whether or not canon law binds her to the Catholic church is irrelevant. She does not want to be Catholic anymore. There could be many reasons for her decision to leave the church. Canon law applies to those who willfully consent to Christ and his church. She has chosen to leave. It’s called free will. Jesus respects free will. He would attend the wedding and continue to love her with the hope of reconciliation. Do not be so bound by dogma that you forget mercy. This current crisis is a perfect example of following the letter of the law to the point where you lose common sense. Frankly, canon law has been abused to keep people in fear. How many abuse victims felt so bound by canon law that they and their parents were convinced not to go to law enforcement? Avoid scandal at all costs. Now, the scandal is threatening the entire church!
 
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