Catholic wedding question

Im Catholic and I have never heard that you arent allowed to get married out doors. My pastor just wont wed anyone outside of church not sure if that applies to the grounds but the assistant pastor does wed people outside of the church.

I'm a Catholic bride- you cannot get married outside of the church unless it is accepted and blessed by the Bishop of that location's Diocese. Example- you want to get married on the dock of a lake- the Bishop would need to give you the okay and then bless that specific area.

Marriage is a sacrament in the eyes of the Catholic church and therefore should be held in a Catholic church. We believe that the marriage is not just for a piece of paper but for God.

There are also many steps in order to be married in the Catholic religion. You must be engaged for at least six months, go through Pre-Cana, meet with your Priest several times.

Honey B.- Thanks for clearing that up I was kind of confused after I read a thread yesterday.

No problem- we just got done doing the last step (meeting with our Priest) so we're good to go on our wedding

Edit: Kimi gave me this great website to consult about Catholic weddings .. its very useful http://catholicweddinghelp.com/

Congrats We arent getting married in the church mainly because we havent gone to church in almost three years. I want to return but I need to find a better suited church

But why? What is so wrong with being outside. Didn't God create earth...

I just don't understand. I'm not trying to offend anyone I've just n itever understood.

You say its because its a sacrement? I don't really know what that is so maybe that's part of why I don't understand but even so what's wrong with outside?

Again I'm sorry if I offend anyone as I try to figure this out. I'm just curious. Plus I think if you are going to do something because of your religion you should know why you are doing it, other then your religion tells you to. I'm not Catholic but sometimes when I talk to people that are they can't give me real reasons for some of the things they do because of their religion...this is not for this post though, sorry.

Go on google and research it. Im not too much help there other than my grandmother was very very blunt about wanting me wed in the church until I told her that I havent attended in years so why?

Monica- if you are so curious about why then I suggest that you contact your local Diocese and ask to speak to someone in the Marriage & Life Division. They can help answer your questions better than anyone on this forum.

Well that's great and all but I feel like anyone doing things a certain way because of their religion should know why they are doing it.

Here is a website not sure how good it is http://catholicweddinghelp.com/questions/questions-answers.htm

Monica- I know why I am doing it so I don't think I need to justify it to you. I am only offering you advice if you would like to discuss why they do what they do to contact your local Diocese. This is a wedding forum for help and advice, not to discuss and question someone's religion or decisions on why they are getting married in a certain religion.

Jess, are you sure you're Catholic? I used to be and we called it Mass and not church and there weren't any pastors, they were called priests, fathers, brothers, bishops, etc...

Michelle- My parents and sister are Catholic and they still say go to church rather than go to Mass or attend Mass. But you are right about "pastors". I have never heard a Catholic call the priest a pastor.

Pastors are Lutheran.

Pastors are also Methodist...pretty much any Christian religion besides Catholic...except for the ones without a Parish, they are Pastors, but I heard they're not recognized by the Roman Catholic Church.

Religious weddings have a set of rules associated with them. The Catholic church has limitations and requirements, other churches have their own rules, be it no alcohol/tobacco/caffeine, no dancing, or other requirements. Some have limitations on the music that can be used if the head of the congregation is presiding over the ceremony.

It's not that you 'CAN'T' do these things - it's that you can't do these things, it's that your wedding ceases to be a religious one and becomes a secular one. And there are issues that go with that as well. It varies from church to church what those issues/ramifications are, but it's not something to blow off too quickly if you are a religious person active in your church.

Growing up, our neighbors had a secular wedding and went back later and were married in accordance with the rules of the Catholic church.

FYI - most religious wedding ceremonies require religious music. That automatically removes the most common wedding songs from your list.

@Monica - I think Honey B gave an excellant explanation as to why Catholics marry inside a church buildings, and what must be done in the event of marrying outside of the building.

As with any religion, you have individuals who are actively practicing and those who have either lapsed in their practice or who really don't consider it a very important part of their life. This is true of not just Catholics, but other Christian demoniations, Jews, Muslims, etc. Significant life events - such as weddings - often cause people to want incorporate those religious traditions into that event. When one isn't used to actively practicing within the guidelines of that religion's tenets, it can be difficult to explain the reasoning for them.

Honey B.- I DID NOT ask you to justify yourself to me, I DID NOT question your religion and I DID NOT question why anyone is getting married in a certain religion. Go back and read what I said. If I was doing that I would have said "Justify yourself to me" well that's just not my place. I made the comment about people shouldn't get married a certain way if they don't understand the reasons why it is that way because I believe that.

I started this discussion to get the answer this question: What is it that makes it not okay to get married outside if you are Catholic? Why do Catholics have to get married in a church.

So answers like google it and ask someone else when you are Catholic and having a Catholic wedding just don't make sense to me.

MusicMeister- Thanks for that explanation. I do understand that different religions have different rules. I was just curious about the reason for this one.

It just seems to me that you were asking for me to justify why I am getting married in the Catholic church when I was giving you a valid answer and it didn't seem to "justify" what you were asking. I'm sorry if you felt that I was attacking you but I gave you valid reasoning and I felt that you were attacking me for making the decision to get married in the Catholic church. I also wanted to point out to you that if you felt you wanted to know more information then you should contact the Diocese in your area because they would give you the most correct information along with more information then a wedding forum can give you!!!

I'm sorry if you felt like I was attacking you but that's not why I'm here. I asked on a wedding forum because it was a question about a Catholic wedding and there are Catholic brides here. Makes sense to me.