In this page you have the answer to two common questions:

• Weddings Without Mass
• Saturday Wedding Mass

Weddings Without Mass

Having a Catholic wedding doesn't have to mean having a Catholic Mass. You can celebrate a Catholic marriage in your parish church with a service which does not include a full Mass. Sometimes that is a better option. A wedding without Mass includes the procession, the opening prayer, the Scripture readings, the homily, the couples exchange of consent, the rings, and the blessings. It does not include the preparation of the bread and wine, the Eucharistic prayer, and the communion rite.

When the bride and groom come from two different faiths, or when many of those attending the wedding will be unfamiliar with the Roman Catholic Mass, the service without Mass may make a better fit.

 Marriage celebrates unity. If the celebration includes Eucharist, a partner who belongs to another faith will not share the great symbol of unity at the climax of Mass, communion. Neither will non-Catholic guests who came to join in the prayer. In fact, all through the service many will wonder when to sit or stand, what responses to make, or how to sing the acclamations. That much discomfort often silences the Catholics who are present, inhibiting their capable, full, and conscious participation in the Eucharist. A wedding without Mass spotlights the wedding itself and lets the whole assembly participate more equally. People can hear the Scriptures, witness the consent, and join in the prayers and blessings together even if they come from different denominations. The service still takes a while -- Catholic weddings are notoriously longer than most others -- so all will feel like they've worshipped, not just watched.

Celebrating a marriage without a full Mass may also help your parish priest. If the wedding does not include Mass, either a priest or a deacon may preside for it. Although your priest wants to help families with funerals and weddings as they occur, they can add more stress for him and the parish when they fall on an already full weekend. Many priests find the wedding without Mass enables them to reserve the energy they need for the regular Masses that weekend.

Saturday Wedding Mass

Catholics may fulfill their obligation to participate in Mass on a Sunday or holy day by attending a wedding, as long as the wedding takes place during Mass, and as long as it is celebrated on the day of obligation or in the evening of the preceding day (canon 1248/1).

However, certain directives govern the texts of a wedding, whether they pertain to the marriage ceremony, the Mass prayers, or the Scriptures (Rite of Marriage 11).

The elements of the marriage ceremony (e.g., the exchange of consent, the blessing of rings, the nuptial blessing, and the final blessing) may be used at any Mass.

The prayers of the Mass (e.g., the ones the priest says while the server holds the book, or the preface of the Eucharistic prayer) should be taken from the rite of marriage unless the wedding takes place on a Sunday (or Saturday evening) during Advent, Lent, or Easter, or on a holy day or on a feast ranked as a "solemnity" such as St. Joseph (March 19) or the Birth of John the Baptist (June 24). In those cases, we use the prayers of the feast or season.

The Scriptures should be taken from the selections recommended in the wedding lectionary, except on those days cited above. However, even on those days one of the readings for the feast or season may be replaced with one for weddings, except on the most important days like Easter, Pentecost, and holy days of obligation.

When the wedding takes place in the Catholic church without Mass, any prayers and readings may be used. The only days on which the celebration of sacramental marriage is forbidden are Good Friday and Holy Saturday.

To fulfill your obligation to participate at Mass, you go to a Mass in the evening before or on the day of obligation. You do not need a dispensation at a wedding. You may not hear the prayers and Scriptures of the parish Mass. But any Mass fulfills the obligation; those planning the ceremony should select the appropriate texts for the event.