Religious Wedding Ceremony – Is it Right for You?

One of the first things a newly-engaged couple must decide is whether to have a religious wedding ceremony.  While many couples will put this off until the middle or end of the wedding planning process, this should be among the first of the plans made.  From ceremony venue to wedding date, almost every aspect of your special day can be affected.

If you or your spouse-to-be grew up in a particular house of worship then their schedule of availability can dictate how long you have to plan your wedding.  Some of the more ornate, historical churches can have waiting lists of more than a year.  It’s worth having a conversation about whether where you’re married is more important to the both of you than when you’re married before you make the preliminary visit to the church.  At least, it’s advisable if you don’t want to have your first wedding-related fight when you discover you have differing opinions.

But what if you and your future spouse don’t share the same religious beliefs?

This can be a challenging area for any couple; however, it is best dealt with early on in the relationship – especially if one or both of you have strong opinions on the subject.  As with any disagreement that may pop up over the course of your life together, it is critical that you maintain an attitude of respect towards the opinion of your future spouse.  Compromise is the foundation of a happy marriage so let the question of having a religious wedding ceremony be your first test.

Just keep in mind that this is your wedding day that you’re talking about, not the next world war.

What other areas of the wedding might be affected by a religious ceremony?

Each house of worship will have their own guidelines to determine if they’ll perform your ceremony or allow you to use their building.  For instance, some religions don’t allow secular music to be played during the wedding ceremony or reception so if the first dance together as husband and wife is of vital importance to you then you’ll need to consider a separate reception venue.  Others may require a certain number of pre-wedding counseling sessions with the person who’ll be performing your ceremony, or even a pre-wedding class.

Also important to keep in the back of your mind is that a house of worship doesn’t exist solely to provide couples a place to marry.  That means you will most likely be responsible for taking down any decoration you put up.  While you might be on the way to your honeymoon, someone will have to be responsible for set-up and tear-down.  This can add hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars to your wedding budget – especially if you’ve not planned for it at the beginning.

The bottom line is that the decision whether to have a religious wedding ceremony is one that is intensely personal to you and your future spouse.  Regardless of which way you go, your wedding can still be the perfect and special day you’ve always envisioned.