Civil Wedding Vows

How long are catholic wedding ceremonies?

My sister in law is getting married next Saturday. Her fiancé is catholic and the ceremony will be as such. I have always heard that the actual wedding ceremonies are very... very... long. Like 2 hours. But I'm not catholic and have no clue really. Does anyone know how long they actually take?

Public Comments

1. I've been to several Catholic weddings. Most are about 45 minutes-1 hour.
2. It's about an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. The reason it's so long is because the vows are done within a traditional mass. So, it's basically like going to church on Sunday, but with the different readings (more marriage/love oriented) and with the vows. I'm Catholic, so sitting through mass doesn't bother me. If anything, it will be a good experience and insight into something you don't know much about. Take it as a learning experience.
3. About an hour. The mass is mixed in with the wedding ceremony.
4. I'm a practicing Roman Catholic all my life and got married in a Catholic church. About 1 hour is not very, very long - suck it up.
5. It depends on how long the readings are and whether or not they do communion. If they do a full mass with communion, expect it to take about an hour, maybe a little more. If they don't, it can still be about 35-45 minutes. I met a couple who are planning a Hindu wedding and they were telling me that their ceremony takes so long that they have a tea station set up. Guests just know that at any time they can go get something to drink and take a break from the ceremony. I guess it takes a minimum of an hour and half and can go as long as 2 hours.
6. I've never been to a 2 hour Catholic wedding. Usually it's about an hour and maybe 10 or 15 minutes or a little shorter depending on the priest and how long he talks. It's basically mass with the vows/exchange of rings in there. Just watch everyone else for when to stand/sit/kneel and don't go up for communion (when the priest turns the bread into the body of jesus) that's reserved for Catholics that have recieved the rite of the first eucharist. Otherwise you should be fine.
7. a little over an hour.
8. forever same as mass one hour
9. You heard wrong. If there's no Mass, they can be about 30 minutes long. If there's a Mass, they can run from 40-60 minutes. It depends on how long the priest's homily (speech after the Gospel reading) is, and how many people might be taking Communion at a Mass.
10. The are NOT 2 hours. That is a myth. It will be 45 minutes to 1 hour tops! The priest doesn't want to spend all day at the wedding either!
11. An hour