The Roman Catholic Wedding Ceremony

The Roman Catholic marriage ceremony, unlike that of the Church of England, does not vary. There are two forms: Simple and Solemn. The Simple Wedding consists of the marriage vows blessed by the priest and witnessed by two witnesses. The form of service is very brief and lasts no more than a few minutes. The Solemn Wedding means the marriage vows followed by Holy Mass during which the special blessing is given. The Mass may be a Low Mass, with or without music, or a High Mass requiring the services of three priests and a choir.

The Solemn Mass is NOT allowed:

1. From the First Sunday of Advent until December 26th.
2. From Ash Wednesday until Easter Monday.
3. When the marriage is a "Mixed Marriage"

A "Mixed Marriage" is a marriage between a Roman Catholic and one who, though baptized, does not profess the Catholic Faith. For this a Dispensation is required, and it must be obtained by the parish priest of the Catholic party.

Three conditions are required for this dispensation:

1. The non-Catholic must undertake not to interfere with the religious belief and practice of the Catholic.
2. The wedding must take place in a Catholic Church and must not be preceded or followed by any other religious service.
3. All children of the marriage must be brought up in the practice of the Catholic Faith.

In England the rule now generally obtaining is that the non-Catholic should have several instructions from the priest.This precaution is for the good of the non-Catholic, and does not in any way oblige him to embrace the Catholic Faith.

The Mass may accompany only a morning wedding within the Church. Holy Communion is usually received at this time by the bride and bridegroom, and sometimes by the whole bridal party. This means fasting from the midnight preceding the wedding. The bride and bridegroom may receive Holy Communion before their wedding. The Nup­tial Mass may take place as early as five or six o'clock in the morning, or as late as twelve. With special permission it may take place up to one o'clock.

During the Nuptial Mass, both the bride and bridegroom kneel within the Sanctuary rails. This is the only time in Catholic Liturgy that a woman is allowed on the Sanctuary.

A wedding without Nuptial Mass may take place in the afternoon.

The bride is escorted by her father to meet her groom, after which her father leaves her and joins his wife in her pew. The bride and bridegroom then proceed to the sanctuary steps, where the priest is standing, and the marriage ceremony takes place there. The chief bridesmaid stands on the bride's left, and the best man on the groom's right. The brides­maids are similarly aligned. The line of bridesmaids con­verges towards the altar. After the ceremony, the attendants follow the bride and bridegroom in the recessional down the aisle.

There is no mention of "obedience " in the service. The bridegroom holds his bride's right hand and says:

“I,-------- , take thee, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us do part, and thereto I plight thee my troth."

After the priest has said:

"I join you together in marriage, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen,"

he sprinkles the bridal couple with holy water, and the bride­groom places the ring on the book, together with pieces of gold and silver. When the ring is blessed, the bridegroom presents the gold and silver to the bride, saying:

"With this ring I thee wed; this gold and silver I give thee; with my body I thee worship; and with all my worldly goods I thee endow.''

The bridegroom then places the ring on the thumb of the bride's left hand and says: "In the name of the Father". Putting it on the index ringer he says: "And of the Son". Transferring it to the next finger he continues: "And of the Holy Ghost", and placing it finally on the third finger he says:  "Amen".

The ceremony then concludes with prayers.

If a Nuptial Mass is included, the attendants leave the bride and bridegroom in the sanctuary and go in a procession to the reserved pews on each side at the front. The chief brides­maid usually sits in the front pew on the bride's left side, and the best man sits in the front pew on the groom's right hand. The bridesmaids take the next pews, two in each. The reserved sections for the respective families then follow on each side.

The bridal attendants in the front pews rise, kneel, and follow the procedure while the Mass is being celebrated.

If Holy Communion is to be received by the Catholic attendants, they will rise at the proper time and join the bride and bridegroom at the altar or proceed to the communicants rail, where Holy Communion will be administered by the priest.

If the bride's and bridegroom's families wish to receive Holy Communion they will also proceed to the communicants rail.

After the Mass is finished and the bride and bridegroom leave the sanctuary, the attendants file out of their pews. The chief bridesmaid takes the best man's right arm and they follow the bride and bridegroom. After them come the bridesmaids, in pairs.

During the Mass an attendant takes care of the bride's train and veil.

Banns must be read in the church of the bride and the church of the bridegroom when both are Catholics. In the case of mixed marriages the Banns are not read. These Banns are purely ecclesiastical and have nothing to do with the Civil Banns, which must be given in the Registrar's Office.

After the Service in church, the law in England demands that a civil declaration be made in the Sacristy. In the case of a Solemn Marriage this declaration comes between the Marriage and the Mass, the couple going to the Sacristy for the declaration and then to the Sanctuary for the Mass.

Owing to the many regulations both on the part of the Church and State, it is advisable to give the priest at least one month's notice of the intending wedding. The "Pre-Nuptial Inquiry" may present some difficulty when the parties have not been born in England.

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