Catholic Weddings?

I think there were a couple brides on here who had a Catholic wedding. Mrs. Joseph, I want to say. Try searching for some of those posts, maybe?

Its very similar to regular mass, but then you add in the marriage ceremony. Probably 1 hour.

I am Catholic, got married almost 19 years ago. I had the "short" version of the Catholic Mass wedding....about an hour long. It is basically what sailingnurse said, a regular mass with a marriage ceremony. I have been to Catholic weddings that have been a little longer like an hr and 15 mins or hr and a half. My priest would not marry us during Lent, but by what I hear, some do. Your priest should know exactly what to do. Also, I could only have certain songs in the wedding. My fave was Ave Maria of course!

Are you having a Catholic ceremony or a Catholic Mass? (difference being that there is Consecration in a Mass...meaning people get communion)

We're having a Catholic Mass. What kind of things do you want to know about?

Does your church have a checklist that you can follow? Here is the primary deal - you are required to go through pre-marriage counseling before marriage. Most Catholic churches require that you have 6 months to get ready, because it could take that long to get through the counseling, based on the dates that classes are scheduled. The church has specific readings for the wedding ceremony. You must be married in the church, not outdoors. You must agree to raise any children in the church. The church will have specific rules regarding music used during the ceremony. If your church has a music director, you will probably need to meet with him/her to go over the music you will use. The church should have a check list of readings that you can choose from. The wedding ceremony will be like a regular Mass, except you will walk in at the beginning. You will exchange vows after the homily. You cannot make up your own vows, the church has specific vows. (cont)

After you exchange vows the Mass continues. Catholic weddings don't have "you may kiss the bride", but at the end of the service the priest will probably introduce you as Mr and Mrs Jones, and you can kiss then, before you walk down the aisle.

good web site http://catholicweddinghelp.com/topics/readings-rite.htm

I went to a catholic wedding just the other weekend, and it took an hour and a half. It was pretty much mass and wedding is just thrown in. He didn't even announce the kissing of the two. So all of a sudden they were kissing! It kinda took all of the joy out of celebrating their union because then he went on with now that they are married this is what it means in the eyes of God. Coming from a non-catholic person, it was interesting.

My wedding was a full Catholic mass. It was very similar to a regular mass other than a few things were omitted (no collection, certain things were not sung at all). The prayers are geared towards a marriage. There are two parts that are different than a mass - the nuptial blessing (which is the priest saying a bunch of stuff) and the blessing of the rings and then you put the rings on. Then you take communion and at the very end of the mass is where you two kiss.

We are having the full mass within the ceremony, my questions right now are giving roses out? what does that mean and how does it work. Also I was watching youtube videos and several times i watched the bride put her bouquet at the feet of a statue of Mary, what is that for? I'm so lost!

We're doing the whole Catholic mass stuff because our parents are insistant on that ... Basically yeah pre-martial counseling which varies by parish, we only would have to hold 3-4 meetings with our priest if we were getting married out here but since it's in Illinois we have to have 5-7 meetings and you'll discuss babies, birth control, money, the church's expectations of a wedding, etc... all are designed to make you work through your issues so you don't get divorced since it's against the Church's rule (that's why you must have any previous marriages annulled (unless your spouse died) before remarrying in the Catholic Church). Also you may be able to discuss what rules you want to set down if you have overbearing parents ... the Priest will walk us through it all The whole not being said "you may kiss the bride" is kind of weird, but they tell you at the rehearsal when you can kiss the bride ... I don't know I'm only doing it for my parents and so my children (if I have any) can

Be baptized in the church ...

As Rosie said, there are two different things, a Catholic Ceremony in the Church, where there is not a Mass; and a Nuptial Mass were there is the Liturgy of the Word, and Liturgy of the Eucharist. THe ceremony, in Catholic terms,is called the Marriage Rite. It takes place in between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Concluding Rite is last. As described by A.B., rules on songs vary by diocese and sometimes even pastor of your parish. Here is a website that explains it in easy language: http://agniel.tripod.com/catholic/. In a Catholic Nuptial Mass, roses are usually given out during the "Sign of Peace" to your mother's or other special people. Also, during the ceremony, in some cultures/parishes, the couple gives a small bouquet to honor the Blessed Mother. It is during this time, most "Ave Maria" is usually played. When the couple is placing the flowers, they kneel and pray.

We have already met with the priest..and in fact only had to go two or three times for counseling so thats done. My biggest problem in this whole thing is that I'm not catholic, I'm in confirmation classes, but I have only been attending a catholic church for the last few months. SO its like planning a wedding i've never seen before.

The roses are given out by the bride and groom to the their mothers during the sign of peace. As for the presentation to Mary, that is done right before the end of the ceremony. The bride takes a bouquet of flowers to the statue of Mary and offers her the bouquet and says a prayer to Mary to help guide her as a good wife and mother through her marriage.

I am also doing a catholic wedding. Like someone else emntioned your priest or church should give you a checklist and guide you thru most of the prep. which is not that difficult. Im not sure what other information you wanted to know?

Ditto what Carole has said. Leaving a small bouquet at the Blessed Mother's feet also asks for her blessing as you become a wife and can signify a desire to submit to God's will in your marriage as Mary did. It's a lovely tradition, and I'll be doing it at my wedding, even though we're only having the Marriage Rite, not the Nuptial Mass.

@Jessica....I think it is awesome that you are converting. Congrats and God bless! Your priest will give you a booklet to help your plan your liturgy. Your Nuptial Mass will follow the same order as the regular Mass except you will be married after the Gospel reading, usually after the homily. Some priests will forgo a homily for the rite(ceremony).

Here is another link that you might find helpful. It also provides templates for your program.

http://catholicweddinghelp.com/topics/catholic-wedding-program-template-mass.htm

P.S. In our diocese, Philadelphia, we do kiss.