Do You Know Catholic Wedding Etiquette?

A Catholic marrying another Catholic can marry nowhere other than the territory of a Catholic parish, usually the one in which they live. If the bride and groom belong to different parishes, the wedding usually takes place in the parish of the bride.

Only those who have received the sacrament of the eucharist may receive communion during a Catholic wedding ceremony. The ushers will move row by row to allow guests to receive Communion, so those not receiving should remain seated.

In this tradition, it is a time to appreciate those around you and wish them good fortune and peace in life. You shake the hand of the person next to you, or people around you, and wish them peace, and they do it back to you.

While there is so expressly written rule that you cannot wear a hat to a Catholic wedding, it is frowned upon and considered rude. Normally, the wedding invitation will specify what guests should wear.

If you are Catholic, you will most likely dip your finger in the Holy Water and make the sign of the cross. Or, you could drop your right knee by the tabernacle. However, if you are not Catholic, you don't have to do any of these things.

While the verbiage will change from parish to parish, the words exchanged between the bride and groom are called the Rite of Marriage. For this, the entire congregation will stand, and the couple will recite their vows, which are actually the traditional wedding vows you are used to.

Catholic ceremonies can take place with or without a Mass, and opting for the Mass will add about 15-30 minutes to the process. They are usually combined because of the Sacrament of the Eucharist representing the bond of love between the bride and groom.

While the priest will ask you to kneel to pray, if you are not comfortable with that, especially if you are not religious, then you do not have to. The Catholic church has modernized, especially for weddings, to realize that some of these traditions cannot be forced on people

The Introductory Rite is when the priest leads the way down the aisle carrying the cross. "Gloria" is a common hymn sung during that time, followed by a prayer, in which you will stand for all of it.

Keep in mind, you are not at this wedding for yourself, you are there for the bride and groom who invited you, and you are in a holy house. It is important to be respectful in as many ways as possible, and not wearing short or revealing attire is one way to do that.

Just like women, men should dress conservatively. Details about dress should be included in the invitation, but if not, it's better to err on the side of caution and go shirt, tie and jacket. You can always take off the jacket if needed.

While some receptions do start hours after a Catholic ceremony, this comes down to the timing of the chosen venue of the bride and groom, and not the Catholic religion. There is still music, dancing, food and cake!

Since there are so many processionals and traditions that take place at the very start of the ceremony, it is rude to interrupt them. It is suggested to arrive 15-30 minutes prior to the start time so you can figure out where you're seated and chat.

It is commonplace in churches that everyone is welcome, and that includes children at weddings. However, the bride and groom can request that children not be present, so make sure you check with them before bringing the little ones.

There really aren't many difference between Catholic receptions and non-religious receptions. There might be more prayers and blessings, but everything else, including alcohol, will be the same.

In the grand scheme of things, the ceremonies are not that long. They traditionally last from 45 minutes to an hour and a half. Since you are witnessing the holy sacrament of marriage, it is highly frowned upon to leave during the ceremony.

It is tradition in most weddings that guests shouldn't wear white to weddings, but most important at Catholic weddings because white is a symbolization of virginity, and in the Catholic religion, women are meant to remain virgins until marriage.

Since there are usually long gaps between the end of a Catholic ceremony and the reception time, guests may find themselves with time to kill. There are no rules as to what they can do, so if they want to grab a drink or a quick snack, they are free to do so.

That Catholic church does not preside over the reception, so there are no church limitations placed on the type of music that can be played. The only limitation would come down to what the bride and groom like.

Churches are a place of worship and are usually open at all time for people to come and go. However, the church will close to the public when there is a wedding, but there are limitations on when weddings can take place. If the church has regular confession hours, the wedding must be completely over before that starts, which is why many Catholic ceremonies take place in the early to mid-afternoon.

The tradition of not seeing each other before the wedding came from the time of arranged marriages. It was thought that if the couple had time to see each other beforehand, they would have time to change their mind and escape.

Just as in non-religious weddings, kids can serve as the flower girl or ring bearer. There may be more specifics in a Catholic ceremonies, but the concept is the same.

The Catholic Church is all about sacraments, tradition, and respect. If you are invited to the ceremony with the reception following, you are expected to attend both, or neither.

In a Catholic wedding, the couple must be married by a priest. If not, the marriage is not valid in the eyes, or law, of the church.

If you are not religious, or do not wish to kneel for prayer, no one will force you. Weddings bring together all sorts of people, and you get to retain your personal choices while attending one.

There are no guidelines for where receptions can take place after a Catholic ceremony. It can be in a garden, a barn or anywhere else that holds weddings.

In Catholic ceremonies, the priest does not ask if anyone objects to the marriage. Instead, weddings are announced in newspapers ahead of the ceremony. If you object, you would come forward before the wedding day.

If the ceremony includes Mass, it will end with the sign of peace. If there is no mass, the ceremony will end with "Go in peace with Christ." There isn't usually a kiss at the end, and no clapping.

In Catholic tradition, no one gives the bride or groom away. They believe that the bride and groom give themselves to each other.

In order to have a Catholic ceremony, both the bride and groom must be baptized, have received first communion and been confirmed. Finding these documents doesn't take much time, but if one or both parties is converting, that is a much longer process.

Catholic weddings need to be planned around the priest's schedule. You'll also need ample time leading up to the wedding for the classes and meetings.

Since the groom and best man enter the altar through a side door, the maid of honor is left to walk down the aisle alone. She is the last one to walk down the aisle before the bride.

Having a loved one read a passage from the Old or New Testament is a good way to include a friend who couldn't be part of the wedding party, or a family member who has special meaning to you. This comes after the opening hymn

While the bride and groom must recite the traditional Rite or Marriage vows, they can add their own vows as well. They can either be read by the bride and groom themselves, or by the priest.

The guests can either do it before the processional or just after the recessional. The timing, though, will depend on the priest.