By their love, husband and wife are signs of God s love. They pledge to witness the Gospel to their children and community. The church building symbolizes the faithful, the community of believers who have formed the couple in their faith, who will witness their consent, and who will benefit from their service. In the Catholic Church, marriage is a sacred ritual that finds its home in the sacred place designated by the community. The couple s union finds its spiritual strength in the people whom that parish church represents.
Couples sometimes ask if the marriage can be performed outdoors.
Whenever a Catholic marries another Catholic or any other baptized Christian, the ceremony should take place in the parish church or another church or chapel. The bishop can permit the marriage to be celebrated in some other suitable place. A bishop s judgment on the suitability of outdoors may vary from one diocese to another. Further, if the Catholic marries a nonbaptized person, the wedding may be celebrated in a church or in some other suitable place. Because the bishop s judgment is not explicitly needed in this case, a pastor presumably could decide on suitability.