Ceremony & reception details

We’re trying to get married in a Catholic church even though we haven’t been regular church goers and have moved so many times we don’t really belong to a parish. We’ve found it really difficult to find a sympathetic priest and/or a church that will allow it. We want it to be somewhere in the east Sydney/Chowder Bay area. Does anyone have any ideas or advice? Thanks!

Hi Margarita,

We are getting married in a catholic church outside our area and we hardly go to church. I know there is another letter that has to be written. The priest that marries you has to seek permission from the area that you normally reside. We started going to church recently, but there are some out there that understand.

Hope that helps

They wont be very sympathetic if the only reason you are doing it is for the pretty venue.

Maybe attending mass would be a good start to build up a relationship with the priest and congregation.

j_jaye i think that was abit of a unreasonable statement, just because they want to get married in a church and dont go regularily doesnt mean the only reason there doing it is because its pretty, they dont even know if its pretty because they havnt even picked a church!!

anyway FH and i are getting married in a catholic church, we technically have a parish but we’ve only been a few times to get our children baptised, but we’re still not getting married in our parish and no one has a problem with it so far, i dont understand why any would unless the preists in sydney are different to melbourne lol

Sorry I wasn’t being flippant. It was meant to be a factual statement. If you go in gushing about the church then they will think you are only there for the pretty pictures. I am sure they get couples asking all the time. Especially given that when you google churches in that area they are the older pretty ones.

And Viv you are right they seem to take it far more serious in NSW than Vic. I know churches here will let you use them even if you are not catholic as long ass you make the right donation to the church.

really? that sounds abit ridiculous!i know if one of you arent catholic then you have to get written premission from your church to get married in a catholic church, but if neither are, it seems kind of pointless… i love the looks of the old blue stone churches, FH wanted to get married in a church but the parish we belong to has a new modern church which i dont really like, so i get the whole ‘pretty pictures’ thing but if neither of us belong to a religeon then i wouldnt bother

I think most people would just nix it if they didn’t belong to the religion but there are some really serious PPD brides out there who have to have what they want. I don’t think they let you have a catholic ceremony just a non-dominiational one. I guess since the church is losing more and more members every year they figure we have a commodity lets use it. I know some even charge to let you take photos on the grounds as well.

We are getting married at Our Lady Star of the Sea at Watsons Bay. BEAUTIFUL! We also don’t belong to the parish (we live overseas, but I am catholic) so had to find another priest who would officiate for us, but the church has the names and contact details of priests you can ask to perform the service for you. (Their own priest only marries parishoners).

You could combine it with a ferry/water taxi ride across the harbour to Chowder Bay.

Good luck!

Isn’t that just the most ridiculous thing! We wont marry you but we will pimp out our church to you!