Although a couple may not be religious, they may still want to observe some religious traditions during their wedding ceremony. Instead of going through the process of joining a church, undertaking marriage counseling, or converting to one partner’s religion, a couple may be able to find ways to include some religious traditions during their wedding. This can be especially important for same-sex couples who are Catholic but do not have a home church.
Hiring an Officiant
Since most Catholic priests do not look favorably upon same-sex weddings, it can be hard to find one to perform your marriage ceremony. Fortunately, you may be able to hire an officiant to perform a Catholic wedding for you and your partner. Although a hired officiant may not be officially part of the Catholic church, you can be legally married and select some Catholic rituals for your wedding.
Traditional Rituals
If certain religious rituals are important to a couple, then most officiants will try to incorporate them into a wedding. They may charge extra for each ritual, but some of the traditions you may be able to include from a Catholic wedding are the use of a unity candle, an offertory in which the bride or couple places flowers on a shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary, certain blessings, and songs. In many cases, the officiant may be able to offer communion during the ceremony, but you would need to consult with him or her about which rituals he or she would be able to perform.
While it may not be the traditional Catholic wedding of your parents, you can still have an officiant use the prayers or blessings that you and your partner want to include during your ceremony. If you’re not religious, but still want some of the traditions of your faith, discuss them with the officiant you hire to see which he or she can include.
