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covenant ceremony to have civil union blessed

Erin192
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Post #1 of 3 (2623 views)

covenant ceremony to have civil union blessed

Currently my husband and I are civilly married and have been for six years. I have never been married previously, and am Catholic. My husband is also catholic and was briefly married when he was very young through the church. He has gone through the steps to have the marriage both civilly and legally annuled. We now want the marriage to be recognized by the catholic church, and since we did not have a "wedding", it was a small, informal ceremony, I wanted to knwo how to treat this. It is a big deal to go through the process we have to for the church and is a big deal to us, especially since the church treats it as a "first marriage". At the same time we have been civilly married for over six years and know that a traditionally wedding with gifts and some other traditions are not appropriate. We want things to be formal and a celebration, but do not want to offend others and are finding it hard to blend the churches view of it being a new marriage, with the reality of it being an existing one. We want to look at it also as a vow renewal for the party/celebration afterwards. Any advise on how to procede with the planning and ettiquette? We are a little lost.

Etiquette Now
WEDDING ETIQUETTE EXPERT

Post #2 of 3 (2618 views)

Re: [Erin192] covenant ceremony to have civil union blessed [In reply to]

Dear Blessing your Marriage,

Even though the church may view this as a wedding, it is supposed to still be a small family affair. In fact, many call this a blessing of the marriage.

This used to be just the couple and immediate family with the wife in nice attire she would wear to church. So, this doesn't have to be a problem.

Just follow the guide lines in vow renewal etiquette and you should be fine.

Best wishes,
Rebecca Black, Etiquette Consultant
Etiquette Now
http://www.etiquettenow.com

Deacon Bob
INDEPENDANT CATHOLIC DEACON

Post #3 of 3 (2609 views)

Re: [Erin192] covenant ceremony to have civil union blessed [In reply to]

As far as how the Church will view it I believe Pastors may vary on how this is viewed. I would suggest that you speak to the Pastor of your parish.

From an planning and ettiquette point of view I would call it a renewal of vows. You could include a note in the invitations that their presence is a gift enough and gifts are not expected.

Best wishes to you and God Bless. Bob
Deacon Bob Tousey
Independant catholic Deacon