Preparing for a Catholic wedding with a non-catholic fiancé?

I'm here for you, Grace, that was exactly my situation too. Grew up Catholic, got married in my home parish, married a non-Catholic christian who I was already living with. This will vary from parish to parish and even priest to priest, but it was 100% fine for me. My priest didn't balk for a second at my non-Catholic partner, it is so common these days to marry someone of another faith. We were able to marry in my church and have a Catholic wedding, we opted for ceremony only rather than full mass because of my partner and his family not being Catholic and our priest was also totally supportive of that.

And congratulations on your very recent engagement! What was your proposal like?

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much! It actually wasnt really a proposal, but it was really sweet and I think I was more surprised this way than I would have been if he waited and done something big like he was planning. I was in my feelings on Monday night because all of our siblings were doing various special things and I felt like we were stuck in a rut and I just wanted to be engaged so I could plan my wedding and we could be an actual family and stop talking about it. So he was like "Would being engaged make you that happy?" And I told him that it would so he said "well here." And I turned around and he was standing there with a ring in his hand. Apparently he was planning on proposing next month when we are on vacation but I ruined it like I ruin every surprise he tries to plan because I ask too many questions. I figured he was going to propose on vacation though, little did I know he had the ring already and has had it since February.

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I think that proposal story is really sweet, he changed his plan just to make sure you were as happy as possible, I love that. It reminds me of the Kate Hudson proposal at the start of the movie Bride Wars.

View Quoted Comment I definitely got lucky with him! He is known for bending over backwards to make sure I'm happy! I just got off the phone with my parish secretary who happens to be my best friend since kindergarten's grandma and she is checking the parish calendar as soon as it let's her in to see if my date is available! So fingers crossed it is and I will be marrying my best friend on May 4, 2019!

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I'll cross them for you! I had a May wedding too, just one more thing you and I seem to have in common!

My fiancée is a Catholic and I am not. We are NOT able to marry in the church because I am not Catholic. Since we are both divorced, we have to have our marriages annulled before we can even consider a Catholic church wedding.

I am sorry to burst your bubble but unless you are a member of a very progressive Catholic church, you will not be able to wed in the church UNLESS he becomes a Catholic.

Best of luck. My fiancée and I are getting married in a gazebo in a park by a non-denominational priest in 16 days. We may look at getting the annulments done and having a Catholic church wedding later but not right now.

View Quoted Comment The parish secretary called back shortly after I posted and the date was available so that is officially my date pending premarital classes! The priest was at a funeral so I left him a voicemail to have him return my call so he can set up a time to meet with us!

View Quoted Comment We set our date today at the church and are waiting for the priest to return my phone call to set up a time to meet with him. My church is pretty lax I think. My dad was not Catholic when he married my mom there and didn't become Catholic until several years later after I was born. My stepmom isn't Catholic and they still had a catholic priest at her and my dad's wedding so hopefully there won't be a problem. I don't know this priest well since I haven't been as faithful about going to church as I did when I was younger, but he is a very nice guy and has been a wonderful asset to the parish. I wish our last priest was still there simply because I was very close to him. I was an altar server for him and went to mass several times a week in School so I knew him very well.

I wish the Catholic Church here was as nice. We really want a church wedding but the Catholic Church here just won't allow it, so you are truly lucky and blessed. Wishing you all the joy and happiness that your future holds for you.

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Did you speak to the parish secretary about your partner not being Catholic? Did he or she seem to think that was going to pose a problem?

View Quoted Comment The parish secretary is my BFF's grandma so she has met him several times and knows he isn't Catholic and she doesn't think it will be a problem. The church is pretty progressive. My parents got married there almost 30 years ago and my dad wasn't Catholic at the time. I think we just have to promise that our future children will be raised Catholic which was the plan anyway.

View Quoted Comment The Priest called me today and scheduled our meeting with him and didn't say anything about it when I said that he isn't Catholic so I'm assuming it's not going to be a problem!

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Fantastic!!

It sounds like you already have this under control, but I think Theresa's situation is different from yours given her divorce and annulment circumstances. I don't think there's normally any problem with a catholic marrying a non-catholic Christian in a Catholic ceremony--it's possible the bishop may have to approve, but I think that would be fairly routine. If your FI were't Christian at all, it might be a bit harder but still doable with a dispensation.

@Jo, I'm new here and have a question for you, is there any way for you to pm me?