Worried my dress won't be appropriate for Catholic wedding ceremony.

That is something you have to ask your priest. Every priest is different. My family is mostly Catholic and none of the brides past and recent were allowed to have shoulders exposed.

View Quoted Comment Is it scandalous to show my priest a photo of the dress, like would it be better if I asked a woman who works within the church? I just want to make sure I’m dealing with this appropriately

Talk to the priest directly because they will tell you what is appropriate and acceptable. Nothing scandalous about it.

Your dress is fine, not scandalous at all. Are you actually willing to change your dress based on feedback? If yes, ask. If not, don’t ask.

As Michelle mentioned every priest is different, so you’ll just have to ask, if you’re worried about it. My sister-in-law wore a strapless wedding dress at her Catholic wedding with a long cathedral veil (which partially covered her shoulders). I’m not sure if she asked or not, but I don’t think anyone thought anything of it.

Your dress is perfect. Honestly nothing wrong or scandalous about it.

I think your dress is beautiful. I haven't heard of many Catholic churches that come down hard on dresses, but there are some. You could look up past weddings at the church you'll be married at to see what other brides have worn and check out the church's website to see if they have any requirements on wedding dresses. I've seen brides with strapless dresses at every Catholic church I've attended, so it's not unheard of.

I know several catholic brides who wear some sort of lace overlay, shawl or removable lace sleeves for the ceremony that they take off for the reception if they church required them to cover their shoulders, etc. That could be an option for you that won't require you to get a whole new dress.

Definitely talk to the priest ASAP so you know what is and isn't allowed so you have time to make adjustments if needed.

FWIW, I've been to many church weddings where the brides wore dresses similar to yours and didn't need to make it more modest. I'm getting married in an Episcopal church and my dress is very similar to yours.

Catholic Churches usually have a coordinator for weddings that you can talk to so that you don’t have to awkwardly ask the priest about the church’s rules. Some are strict with dress code for the wedding, while others aren’t. I’ll be getting married next month in a Catholic Church that doesn’t have rules, but my friend is getting married at a different one in November that gave her rules about straps, sleeves etc. Reach out to see if they have a point-of-contact for weddings you can talk to.

Every priest is different, but you can use your veil during the ceremony to cover up your shoulders.

Talk to the priest. A lot of them will allow the bride to have bare shoulders, specifically because they are the bride. My SIL was allowed to have her dress be strapless, but her bridesmaids and all of us attending had to wear shawls.

Each parish is different depending on where you are located. Some are more conservative, like the one I grew up in in New Hampshire, while others have become more liberal, like the one I go to in Los Angeles.

If you're concerned about showing the priest your dress, you can always just describe it to him. My guess, is due to your veil (and you being the bride) you will most likely be fine. It's a good thing to ask, however, given that if he says that you're good but all other ladies need shawls - you need to give your bridesmaids and guests a heads up!

I will suggest - Practice kneeling and standing back up in your dress and veil to double check if you're going to need help on the day. You may need your MOH to pull out your veil so it doesn't get yanked when you're kneeling/standing back up during the ceremony. The last thing you want is to accidentally yank it off your head!

Who have you been in contact with as far as setting up your date? I would ask them, usually the church secretary. Even if you don’t show her, you can ask what restrictions they have. Mine didn’t have any, which surprised me.
I personally would feel uncomfortable wearing this at church.

You will be fine. I'm a life long Catholic, the religion is not nearly as strict as people make it out to be. I've worn leggings or sweats at church lol. I've been in spaghetti strap bridesmaids dresses and seen strapless dresses on brides.

Your dress is beautiful. If it helps, I am getting married in a catholic church and would feel comfortable wearing it if I were you because it's your wedding day! If it were any other day, I'd say no. It's really hard to find the right dress and that dress is soooo perfect on you. If you truly feel uncomfortable about the neckline, maybe talk to someone who can do alterations (maybe not permanent ones) and see what your options are. Also maybe see if you can check pictures of the church were you are getting married. Other brides might have worn something like yours too.

Fellow Catholic here getting married in the Catholic church! By tradition you cover up in church. But times have changed! I think your dress is beautiful and not scandalous at all. If you're worried ask your church if they have dress requirements. Otherwise I think your dress is appropriate.