by Molly Horton

Created on: July 28, 2009

Planning a wedding is confusing, time consuming and at times frustrating to say the least. Depending on your faith or spirituality, following the proper rules can be difficult. I got married as a Catholic and my husband is Catholic, but that alone did not make it easy.

First, let me say to any brides and grooms planning a Catholic wedding, it cannot be held outside. Catholic weddings must take place in a Catholic church to be considered in the Catholic faith. The church is an integral part if the ceremony and no Catholic priest should agree to conduct the nuptials outside. If they do, it is not legit. Of course, you can hold your reception outside or even have another, separate ceremony outside, but the original Catholic ceremony must be held inside of a Catholic church.

Long before the ceremony, your priest will likely want to meet several times with the bride and groom. He will want to get a good feel for you as a couple as well as help guide you through the process. Over the course of the year leading up to my wedding, my husband and I met with our priest about five times. Each meeting was about two hours long. Some meetings were just conversations, while some were watching marriage videos and others we were taking tests about our beliefs and each other. We actually get scored on our compatibility on the tests! The priest should explain what the ceremony will consist of and guide you through choosing readings and songs that will be had.

The bride also must speak to her priest about his preference for her bridal attire. My priest left it to my good judgment to keep the girls of the wedding dressed appropriately. Some priests will flat out tell you they will not allow you to wear a dress with exposed arms and shoulders, Before you spend hundreds of dollars on that strapless gown, find out if you will need a shawl to cover up during the ceremony.

Finally, be prepared for the big day. When the priest says to pick and learn the different parts of your ceremony, make sure you do that. Even though there is a ceremony rehearsal, things will go much more smoothly if you are well prepared. Knowing the flow of the ceremony and the vows you will be reciting will also put your nerves at ease a bit.

Now, don't forget to donate to your church as a thank you and invite your priest to your reception. One last tip, the flowers you purchase for the church are nice to be left there as decoration for upcoming masses. It's only polite.

Learn more about this author, Molly Horton.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.