What happens in a Catholic marriage ceremony?

Answer 1

Many Catholic wedding ceremonies (although not all) are conducted within the context of the Catholic Mass. Most of the elements present in the wedding ceremonies of other Christian denominations and faith communities - the procession, and recession, the music, the flowers and other decorations, the exchange of vows and rings, the special presence of wedding attendants, etc. - are all present in Catholic ceremonies, too. The difference is that these wedding elements are inserted at various points within the celebration of the Catholic Mass, which is then called a Nuptial Mass. A Catholic Nuptial Mass often begins with the ceremonial escorting by the ushers of the family members of the bride and groom to their pews, and the arrival of the groom and best man at the foot of the altar. The priest and altar servers next enter the sanctuary and ascend the altar. The bridal party then processes down the aisle, and the bride joins the groom on the altar; the wedding party assembles nearby. The priest then welcomes the assembly and begins to celebrate Holy Mass. Usually at the time reserved for the sermon, after the reading of the Gospel, the priest officiates at the exchange of vows and rings between the bride and groom. Perhaps at this time, the priest also addresses to the congregation a few words about the couple and gives a reflection about Christian marriage. The priest then continues with the celebration of the Mass, At the part of the Mass called the "Exchange of Peace", the congregation and bridal party may exchange handshakes or brief embraces with several nearby others. Later Holy Communion is received by the Catholics present. At the usual time for the Final Blessing, the priest generally gives a special blessing to the couple as well as to the congregation. Sometimes additional brief ceremonies are introduced, such as the parents of the bridal couple ascending the altar to join the newlyweds; the parties then light and extinguish certain candles, symbolizing the new family which has been formed. As a guest, expect the Catholic Nuptial Mass to last between 60 and 90 minutes or so. Non-Catholic guests are not expected to pray, bow their heads, kneel or genuflect as Catholics are accustomed to doing during Mass. However, all in the congregation are expected to show respect by either remaining seated or standing with the rest, and by refraining from conducting conversations or otherwise drawing attention to themselves during the celebration of Mass.

Answer 2

You will need to take Marriage Prep-Courses to determine if you are compatiable with each other... The Catholic parties will need recent copies of their Baptismal Certificates Sometime before the wedding the priest will interview the couple who should bring their documents along. This is called the PMI, the "Pre-Marital Investigation", along with the information about what parish one belongs to, the Baptism information and whether one is free to marry in the Church. The priest will ask questions about each parties full consent to the marriage and his or her commitment to a permanent relationship. He will also ask about children. If it is to be recognized as valid in the Catholic Church, the marriage cannot exclude the possibility of children. The final question is about the willingness and cooperation of the couple to the values of the Church about procreation. There are other rules as well. Some don't allow certain styles of dresses, others don't want you throwing any birdseed or confetti, etc

Answer 3

If both the man and woman are Catholic, the priest celebrates a mass at the wedding. Sometimes, if only one is catholic, or by choice of the couple the wedding ceremony is performed without the celebration of the mass. Marriage is a very important sacrament in the Catholic Church, therefore it is a celebration.

Answer 4

The wedding guests should be seated by the ushers who will seat the bride's family and friends on the left of the church, and the groom's friends and family on the right. The bride's mother should be escorted to her seat at the front of the church. By Tradition, the Groom will arrive at the church before the bride and will take his seat at the front of the Church with his Bestman, however, this is not set in stone. The couple are perfectly entitled to enter the Church together. More typically, the bride will enter the church behind the Priest on the arm of her Father, or another relative or even a friend (of either sex) and followed by her attendants. However, she may choose to walk down the aisle alone. If the bride is walked dyo fat mama uphold your marriage. Vows Facing each other, the bride and groom take each other's right hand and make your wedding vows: 'to have and to hold

from this day forward;

for better, for worse,

for richer, for poorer,

in sickness and in health,

to love and to cherish,

till death us do part' Rings The couple then exchange a ring or rings as a 'sign of their marriage' and a reminder of the vows: 'With my body I honour you,

all that I am I give to you,

and all that I have I share with you,

within the love of God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.' Proclamation You will now be pronounced as husband and wife! Prayers In the prayers God's blessing and help is asked for you. There may be a prayer for the gift of children, but every couple will have their own feelings about this, so it's best to discuss the details with your minister. You may wish to help choose the prayers or to write your own. Readings and talk or sermon It is usual to have one or more readings (one of which should be from The Bible) and the minister will generally give a talk or sermon. Signing of the register After you have exchanged your vows, the bride, groom and two witnesses must sign the register as a legal requirement. Often the 2 witnesses are the bestman and the chief bridesmaid. However, this is a nice opportunity for you to involve other members of your friends and family if you so wish. Often music may be played during the signing of the register. The Finale Once the register has been signed, the Bride & Groom will take their place at the alter once again, and the tradition is for them to walk down the aisle followed by the bridesmaids, the best man with the chief bridesmaid, the bride's mother with the groom's father, and the groom's mother with the bride's father.

Answer 5

A catholic wedding and a protestant wedding are similar.

The wedding ceremony is part of the Mass. During the ceremony, sometimes a bouquet of flowers is placed at the Shrine of the Virgin Mary, and a Unity Candle is often lit. Otherwise, it is fairly similar to any other standard marriage ceremony. Toward the end of the Mass, Communion is distributed to the Bride and Groom and any other Catholics in attendance.

Answer 6

A wedding is celebrated in front of a priest (or deacon or bishop) with two witnesses. They both must be of age, and free to marry (not already married, or under religious vows). Pretty much everything else is optional from a simple ceremony in the rectory office in front of the priest to a grand event in the Cathedral with two dozen attendants.

Answer 7

The marriage service is itself the ritual. from Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980 Ritual. The prescribed words and ceremonies for a religious service. Refers also to the book that contains these prescriptions. In the Catholic Church these books are distinguished according to different offices, e.g., for bishops, and for different ceremonies, e.g., ordination. Ritual also means the whole body of sacred rites in use in the Church.

Answer 8

Two (or more) people get married. The details will vary according to religion, tradition and local legislation.