Wedding on Holy Sat

[JackieMom]

My husband and I were invited to a wedding on Holy Saturday. It’s an outdoor wedding with a hired presider. Neither party is Catholic or practicing a religion, but I feel like it’s a really strange day to hold a wedding. The wedding is at 4 PM followed by cocktails, dinner and dancing. We are close with the bride’s parents, but not the bride so much. I think HS is a pretty solemn day on the liturgical calendar, and I’m not sure if going poses a problem. Thoughts?

 

[SMHW]

My husband and I were invited to a wedding on Holy Saturday. It’s an outdoor wedding with a hired presider. Neither party is Catholic or practicing a religion, but I feel like it’s a really strange day to hold a wedding. The wedding is at 4 PM followed by cocktails, dinner and dancing. We are close with the bride’s parents, but not the bride so much. I think HS is a pretty solemn day on the liturgical calendar, and I’m not sure if going poses a problem. Thoughts?

Non-Catholics typically don’t have our sense of Holy Saturday being a solemn day. Even more so if they don’t practice any religion. They probably view this as being married on a Holiday weekend.

There is nothing in Catholic teaching to prevent you from going to this wedding if that is what you wish. But if you want to maintain the somber sense of the day (particularly if the wedding is not far from where you live) you might consider going to the wedding and then bowing out early from the reception. Perhaps you can say you need to get to the Easter Vigil at your parish

 

[Phemie]

My husband and I were invited to a wedding on Holy Saturday. It’s an outdoor wedding with a hired presider. Neither party is Catholic or practicing a religion, but I feel like it’s a really strange day to hold a wedding. The wedding is at 4 PM followed by cocktails, dinner and dancing. We are close with the bride’s parents, but not the bride so much. I think HS is a pretty solemn day on the liturgical calendar, and I’m not sure if going poses a problem. Thoughts?

Well, we are in the midst of the Triduum, so partying is usually avoided until after the Easter Vigil or until the Easter Day Mass if you don’t attend the Vigil. Weddings are forbidden in the Catholic Church and in the Lutheran Church during the Triduum. You’ll have to make up your own mind as to whether or not to go.