Do Wedding Rings Have Any Real Meaning?

In popular culture, a wedding ring’s significance would probably be that it conveys that a person already is married. Do wedding rings have more meaning for Catholics?

Everything You Wanted to Ask About Marriage–And Beyond

Why does a Catholic wedding normally take place in a church? What does marriage preparation involve? What should a couple do if their marriage is in trouble? Read the answers to these and other FAQs about marriage in the Catholic Church.

Planning Your Catholic Wedding: Ten Tips

Are you planning to get married in the Catholic Church? Congratulations! Whether your wedding is next month or next year, here are some helpful tips for making it a ceremony to remember.

Why Does a Catholic Wedding Have to Take Place in a Church?

Website visitors sometimes ask how they can find a Catholic priest or deacon to officiate at their wedding that will not be held in a Catholic church. Have you wondered why Catholics are normally expected to marry in a Catholic church? Here’s the explanation.

Why Get Married in a Church?

Why does the Catholic Church normally expect couples to get married in church? Fr. Rice explains that while the park or the country club may be beautiful, a Catholic wedding requires sacred space.

The Unity Candle

The “Unity Candle” has become part of many wedding ceremonies. Does it have a place in a Catholic wedding?

Come Hell or High Water

As the wedding day approaches, Sara discusses handling unexpected obstacles in the planning process (both large and small) and what really matters in the end.

Why the Words of the Wedding Vows Matter

The words of the wedding vows matter, says Fr. Stephen Wang, a British theologian. He believes that young people are “longing to give themselves to something of lasting value.” The wedding vows express their sense that love demands a definitive, public promise.

Wedding Commitments–Royal and Otherwise

The religious celebration of the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton highlighted important truths about all marriages. Among others: A couple’s “great act of generous commitment” reminds us that commitment remains desireable and possible.

Wedding Dress Fiasco

Sara goes shopping for the perfect wedding dress and finds what she’s looking for–but in an unexpected place.

Meet Sara and Justin

Meet Sara and Justin, an engaged couple preparing for their Catholic wedding in June. Over the next few months they’ll blog about how they met, how they discerned God’s call to marriage, and how they’re getting ready not just for their big day, but the rest of their married lives. We invite you to share their excitement and leave a comment or two.

A Wedding Planning Reality Check

If you’re caught up in the stress of wedding planning, step back for a moment and consider what’s really important about your big day.

Are Costly Weddings the Result of Social Pressure?

A British priest is offering an all-inclusive church wedding at no cost to the couple. Is this one strategy to deal with the high cost of many contemporary weddings?

How Much Does it Cost to Marry in the Church?

How much does it cost to get married in the Catholic Church?

Actually, nothing. Sacraments are not for sale. It’s appropriate, however, for the bride and groom to share their joy and, in generosity, to contribute to the support of the Church and its ministers.

The Best Wedding Gift? Your Ongoing Support

If you’re planning to attend a wedding, you’ll probably hear a challenge to support the bride and groom during the critical early years of marriage. But, how, practically, can you do this? We offer a few suggestions.

Responsorial Psalms

1. 33:12 and 18, 20-21, 22 R. (5b) The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance. But see, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness. [...]

Interfaith Marriages

Until recent decades, the idea of a Catholic marrying outside the faith was practically unheard of, if not taboo. Such weddings took place in private ceremonies in the parish rectory, not in a church sanctuary in front of hundreds of friends and family. These days, many people marry across religious lines. The rate of interfaith [...]

Budgeting for Your Wedding

Costs vary by region, but the average wedding ranges between $20,000 and $25,000. Some couples justify their spending because it’s a “once in a lifetime” event. Others feel pressured by families and friends to stage an elaborate celebration. Expectations may be greater for couples who have been on their own for a while. Presumably, they [...]

Music

Choosing music for the marriage liturgy can be one of the most rewarding tasks of your wedding preparation. Music is more than a decoration to the ceremony – it is an integral part of the rite, just like the prayers, readings, and actions. Music has the power to convey the depths of God’s love for [...]

Ceremony Options

The Catholic wedding liturgy (or ceremony) presents engaged couples with both choices and structure. The structure is provided by the Rite of Marriage, the ritual book that contains the prayers, readings and liturgical forms used in Catholic weddings throughout the United States. The choices come from a variety of options provided in the Rite of [...]

Rite of Marriage

The Catholic Church provides three different forms of celebrating the Rite of Marriage. When two Catholics are marrying, the celebration will normally take place within a Mass. The second form, which does not include a Mass, is used when a Catholic marries another baptized Christian. A third form, also outside Mass, is usually celebrated when [...]

Planning a Wedding: Ten Tips

Marriage is a Sacrament! The celebration of Marriage is not just a religious ceremony. A marriage between two Christians is a sacrament, which means it is an encounter with Jesus Christ. In a particular way, the bride and the groom, in offering their lives to each other (symbolized in their vows), pledge their selfless love [...]

FAQs

Why does the church teach that marriage is a sacrament? The sacraments make Christ present in our midst. Like the other sacraments, marriage is not just for the good of individuals, or the couple, but for the community as a whole. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage between two baptized persons is a sacrament. The [...]

Rite for Celebrating Marriage Between a Catholic and an Unbaptized Person

The rite for a Catholic marrying a catechumen (one who is preparing for baptism), a non-Christian, or someone who does not believe in God exemplifies sensitivity for the unbaptized person and his/her family. This third form has the same four basic elements as the first two forms of the rite: questions about intent, exchange of consent, the blessing and exchange of rings, and the nuptial blessing.

Rite for Celebrating Marriage Outside of Mass

When a Catholic marries a Christian of another denomination, the Rite for Celebrating Marriage Outside Mass is used. Hospitality suggests that this form is the appropriate one when a significant number of guests are not Catholic and cannot join in Holy Communion.