Catholic Wedding Questions and Answers I am attending a Catholic wedding, but I am not Catholic. What can I expect?First off, you can expect to be welcomed. The Church welcomes all to its sacramental celebrations.
As a witness to the marriage of the bride and groom, you are called to actively assist in the wedding ceremony through words and actions that show your love and support for the couple. If you are not Christian, this may be as simple as being a warm presence for the couple and participating in the words and actions of the wedding liturgy as you feel comfortable. (No one expects you to say prayers or make statements of faith that do not reflect your beliefs.) If you are Christian, you are invited to join the whole assembly to offer your prayers (spoken and sung) for the couple.
The wedding liturgy, called the Rite of Marriage, has two basic forms: with Mass, or outside of Mass. The Catholic sacrament of marriage normally takes place within the context of Mass, because the the Eucharist both reflects and strengthens the bonds of love between the bride and groom, and between the couple, the Church, and Christ. If the wedding is celebrated as part of a Mass, it may last an hour or more; if it takes place outside of Mass, it will probably last about half an hour or so.
If you're lucky, the wedding couple will put together a program that lets you know how to participate in the service or Mass (with hints such as "please kneel" or "please stand"). Other people rely on the priest to give those signals to those present.
You can also get a good idea of what to expect by reviewing the order of the wedding ceremony, which you can do at the following links:
If the wedding you are attending includes a Mass, you may be wondering whether you should come forward to receive the Eucharist when everyone else lines up to do so. The short answer is that only Catholics should receive the Eucharist (with a few exceptions). Another name for the Eucharist is "communion," because the act of receiving it both reflects and effects the spiritual union of the believer with Christ and all the other faithful. In other words, it's a statement of Catholic faith, one that you probably do not want to make if you do not share that faith. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops eloquently explain this position in a statement they issued to be included in worship aids:
Other pages at this website might answer any other questions you have.
An index of articles about Catholic weddings
for couples planning a Catholic wedding
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