My husband and I eloped to Lake Tahoe in 1998 and
were married in a wedding chapel there. We will be celebrating our 5 year
anniversary next year and would like to have a ceremony to include all of our
family and friends who missed out the first time. We have two issues. The first
being that my husband is catholic and I was told that I was baptized catholic,
but I have no certificate and the churches where my mother lived at the time do
not show any record. I was adopted but my biological mother claimed she had me
baptized before she gave me up. this brings the issue. We would like the
catholic church to recognize our marriage. Can we do this if I do not have a
baptismal certificate? My husband never went beyond baptism. So could we even be
married by the catholic church? And if so, would they do an affirmation or would
we have to do a full flown wedding as if we have never been married? We do have
three children so I don't know how that would go over of we are viewed as unwed
in their eyes. Any help you could give would be great.
Since you are already
legally married, what you will be having is a vow renewal
ceremony, not an actual wedding. To find out if you can
have it in the Catholic church, you will need to talk with
your local priest and see what he says about the church's
requirements as they relate to your circumstances. My
feeling is that the church will treat both of you like
converts to the faith, since your husband has not been
confirmed or made his first communion. You will
probably have to attend classes and then be re-baptized
into the church.
The two of you will need to
decide whether you want to develop ties with the Catholic
church or whether you may want to become involved with a
protestant church where you and your children can all
worship together. If you decide to renew your commitment
to the Catholic church, you may want to have your children
baptized as well.
You can certainly have a vow
renewal ceremony with family and friends even if you don't
have it in the Catholic church. Since you are already
married, the ceremony can be performed by anyone,
including a father or a favorite uncle. You may decide
that you want to do it as part of a family reunion or
another get together.
Glenna Tooman,
ForeverWed.com Wedding Consultant
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