Why does a Catholic wedding have to take place in a church?
Technically, there is a clause in Church law that allows for weddings to take place outside of a church, in a suitable space under special circumstances, but this requires the rare permission of the bishop. In fact, last Saturday I was in Kansas City at the Jerusalem Farm, learning about an outreach ministry that specializes in rebuilding neglected neighborhoods. The resident deacon recently held an outdoor wedding on site (with the bishop’s permission). It was definitely not a glamorous destination wedding, but more like a backyard wedding displaying God’s love for the couple and the community.
Often, engaged couples want a wedding location that will easily accommodate both the ceremony and the reception. Or they want their wedding to be remembered for its “surroundings” which spurs them to plan a “destination wedding.” This is why some couples are questioning a church wedding.
The real reason for a “church wedding” is to celebrate a solemn sacrament. Since marriage is a sacrament, the Catholic Church requests that it be celebrated within a sacred place – a church. That is why we celebrate weddings in the same building where we celebrate the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, and Reconciliation.
One priest describes it this way. “I usually end up explaining to (engaged) couples that the Catholic Church expects that a wedding, being a solemn and sacramental event, should occur in a church—in sacred space. Usually, that’s something that they understand, and it’s not a problem. Occasionally I hear, ‘Well, isn’t God present equally everywhere?’ To this, I generally respond, ‘Well, yes, God’s just as present at the bus station downtown, but you wouldn’t want to get married there, would you?’”
Stop and think about this. Stepping into a church is very different from stepping into any other building or location, however beautiful. By its very nature, a church is meant to be a place of reverence, awe, and peace. It is meant to welcome all persons into the loving presence of God the creator of love and life. In fact, within a Catholic Church, Jesus is literally present in the tabernacle. A church is not just an environment that can be “themed” or a location that will produce great pictures. It is a sacred place for sacred promises; like the promise to be faithfully married forever.
Joyful marriages spring from a mutual understanding by the engaged couple that God’s presence within the marriage relationship, and in the family that grows out of the marriage, is much more important than the sentiments of the wedding day. The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony needs to be central to the wedding so God will be central to the marriage. That’s why the Catholic Church celebrates weddings in a church.
Author Bio:
Deacon Dan Vaughn