Wedding in another parish: check what conditions must be met!

While most couples get married at the fiancée's or fiancé's parish, you can actually schedule the ceremony at any Roman Catholic church. However, if you make such a decision, be prepared for additional formalities. Check out how to organize wedding in another parish!

Wedding preparations

A wedding is a special moment in the life of every couple. The decision to take the marriage vows is a very important event that requires careful organization. One aspect to consider is the choice of parish where the ceremony will take place. Sometimes a couple decides to get married in a different parish than the one they belong to. If you want everything to go according to plan, it is worth paying attention to several important issues. Especially if we are going to get married in another parish. Below is the most important information about organizing a wedding in a foreign parish.

How to get married in another parish?

Traditional church wedding or a concordat wedding, first of all, the details need to be agreed with the priest in the appropriate parish. At the same time, neither a church wedding nor a concordat wedding has to be concluded in a strictly defined church. In the past, it was assumed that the marriage should take place in the bride's parish. Today, this tradition has virtually expired and the bride and groom choose the parish, chapel or church they like best. Or it is located closest to the wedding hall or other wedding venue of their choice. Also, the engaged couples often go to premarital education wherever it is convenient for them to get there or where they work every day.

Wondering how to determine which parish you belong to? Remember that it does not depend on the place of residence, baptism or confirmation, but on the current address of residence. If you want to get married in another parish, you need the consent of the local ordinary or your own parish priest. Importantly, a clergyman cannot refuse without giving a serious reason, or make his decision conditional on the fulfillment of requirements that are not specified in canon law.

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If the parish priest from your home parish issues documents, you can go with them to the selected church. Depending on the parish and the priest, the wedding fee ranges from several dozen to several hundred zlotys. In the case of a license, the priest from the selected parish may only perform the wedding, while the parish priest from the bride's or fiancé's parish sends an application to the Registry Office and draws up a pre-wedding protocol. When it comes to sublicensing, all formalities rest with the priest from the parish where you are getting married.

Visit to the parish

It is worth remembering that before getting married, you should report this fact to the pastor of the parish to which at least one of the brides belongs. The parish priest must give appropriate permission to perform the ceremony in another parish. Please note that this may take some time, so don't delay.

Then, if we plan to get married in another parish, we should go to the parish where we intend to get married. It is worth contacting the priest who will be the celebrant of our wedding and discuss with him all the details related to the ceremony. The priest will also be able to provide us with all the necessary information about the required documents or costs related to the ceremony. It is worth setting the date, time and place of the ceremony in advance and asking about the requirements regarding the dress, music or other details. Please also note that other parishes may have different rules and regulations, so please read them carefully and comply with them.

Marriage in another parish - required documents

Also, do not forget about documents. Before getting married in another parish, you must provide the original birth certificate, a confirmation certificate and a certificate of completion of a premarital course. All documents must be valid and issued not earlier than 6 months before the wedding.

It is also worth thinking about decorations and flowers. When organizing a wedding in another parish, you must remember that we will not always have an impact on the appearance of the church.

Reasons for getting married in another parish

The reasons why couples choose to get married in another parish are usually very prosaic. For example, future spouses already live and work in a different place than they grew up and where they come from. Another reason for getting married outside the place of residence is the lack of a suitable one on the spot wedding hall or accommodation for wedding guests. They are also fashionable weddings in Poland for foreign couples. In this case, the choice of a wedding venue is often determined by, for example, proximity to the airport or convenient access for wedding guests. Sometimes it is also due to the inability to choose the date of the wedding. For example, when the Bride or Groom can take time off or come from abroad only on a certain date.

Announcements and a wedding in another parish?

Pre-wedding announcements are an important part of every church wedding. They are also necessary if we decide to have a concordat wedding. Pre-wedding announcements should take place in the parish of the Bride and Groom. Unless they live in the same parish - then joint wedding announcements will suffice. If you are getting married to a person from another parish, announcements are required in two places.

The obligation to make a wedding announcement results from canon law. The idea is to publicly announce your intention to get married. This gives people who know the reasons why a given wedding in the light of the Catholic faith cannot take place to notify the priest. Tradition speaks of repeating the announcement three times, but nowadays it is enough to announce the announcement twice to fulfill this obligation before a church wedding.

Is the announcement date important?

Announcements must of course be made before the wedding. However, whether it will be, for example, two months or two weeks before the wedding, it does not matter. It is important to be able to deliver them from the pulpit at least twice. That's what church rules say.

Marriage in another parish and premarital studies?

Premarital education is a very interesting topic. Even more interesting is the form they can take. Since it is not formally regulated anywhere, the priest in the parish where we want to get married decides on passing the pre-marital education. Some clergy believe that a high school religious certificate is sufficient to pass premarital education. Others prefer to see confirmation that they have completed an adult premarital education course.

To get married in a church in another parish, we also need a certificate of completion of premarital education. And here it is necessary to agree with the priest who will perform the wedding in what form it should be.

What to remember on your wedding day?

The most important things to keep in mind are of course documents necessary to confirm the marriage and wedding ring. And although it sounds like a cliché, many romantic comedies contain partly true stories. The sacrament of marriage cannot be approached as a substitute or repeated so easily. Therefore, let's check beforehand if we really have everything. Traditionally, remembering everything is also the duty of the best man. But if you are getting married with full conviction and your groomsman is an absent-minded person, it is always worth checking for yourself whether we have all the necessary documents and accessories. 

What is the cost of a church wedding?

The price of a church wedding is not formally regulated anywhere. It all depends on the arrangements with the parish priest. Often, however, the famous "what a favor" is a specific amount in a given region. However, let's remember that we have different financial possibilities. What is a small amount for one person may not be acceptable for another. A wedding in another parish in this case can also be a way out. You can simply take a certain proportion and in the case of a very expensive wedding, allocate a larger amount for the church wedding itself and vice versa. The fact that many couples choose to have a religious wedding shows that the amounts paid for a church wedding are definitely acceptable for most.

A church wedding and a concordat wedding

Many young couples are wondering what kind of wedding to have - church or concordat? A church wedding and a concordat wedding are two types of marriage ceremonies that have different legal grounds and requirements. A church wedding takes place in a church and is a religious celebration that has mainly spiritual significance. Marriage concluded in the church is not associated with any legal consequences, but only obliges the spouses to observe the rules of religion. A church wedding can be concluded even if the couple has not completed the formalities related to the registration of the marriage at the registry office.

In turn, a concordat wedding is a marriage concluded on the basis of a concordat between the Holy See and the state in which the marriage is to be concluded. The contract regulates marriage and family matters, such as getting married, divorce or raising children. A concordat marriage, like a civil marriage, is legally binding. In Poland, under the concordat signed in 1993, concordat marriage is one of the types of marriages. According to the provisions of the concordat, in order to enter into a concordat marriage, the couple must meet certain requirements regarding religion and marital status.

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Civil marriage: necessary formalities

To avoid confusion and unnecessary nerves, check which ones you should complete documents before marriage. Do it well in advance, so you can avoid pre-wedding fever. If you are planning a civil wedding, prepare valid ID cards or passports and abbreviated birth certificates (although not all offices require them). Attach the original proof of payment of the stamp duty for a civil wedding, or a bank transfer printout, to the above-mentioned documents.