I think the church is the most stressful part of this wedding planning...

I wont go into the whole story again because most of you know it but I was married as a stupid teenager and now have to get an anullment. The churches wont put you in the book until this is completed so I was chancing not having the date after booking the hall(didnt know it would be such a problem before we booked)Anyhow, we got a great recommendation for an episcopal church. Well I went through this whole big hoopla with the secretary of the church just to get an application of marriage so that I could speak to a priest because she wouldnt let me set an appt. without it. Okay so I get it in the mail, I fill it out and send it back and nothing. No one ever gets back to me. Okay now we move the date of the wedding a year so that we can get married in the original church we wanted. It takes me 3 weeks just to get someone from the diocese to call me back and give me the phone number to the church by my house and the name of the deacon who will be my advocate--wouldnt you know it has to be the nastiest deacon at the church(he baptised both my sons and amazed my family at how rude he was to us during the service and even called the godmother an idiot)Okay I deal with it leave the man a message and after a few days he calls back while my kids are screaming their heads off so I dont answer the phone. He hangs up on the machine and never calls back and now doesnt return my calls. At this rate Im gonna have to move my wedding to 2008 before my anullment is done. Sorry just had to vent. Thanks

I know you've been having all these problems with the church. This doesn't help I'm sure. Wanted to offer

I too think that scheduling the church is very stressful.

I grew up going to my catholic church and the priests there are very old-fashioned. I spoke to them about my wedding and they were very excited about it until I told them that my FH never received his first communion and has become a presbyterian as an adult.

One particular priest actually told me that I would go to hell if I married outside of the church and died without rectifying my marraige at my church.

At first that got me worried (I don't want to go to hell and I feel guilty by not marrying at the church), but I will not be pressured into forcing my FH to convert back to catholicm and make everybody uncomfortable over this.

I ended up selecting a United Church of Christ church and they have been non-judgemental and very helpful thus far.

Sorry I wrote so much, but I just wanted to show you that you are not alone with your struggles.

It was defitnely one of the hardestparts for us too & we didnt' even have previous mariages to deal with.

We were both confirmed Catholics but didn't belong to a church & didn't live where we wanted to get married, so it took a while to find a place, and then we weren't comfortable there & we ended up an Episcopal church, but it was difficult to get in touch with many of the churches--both Catholic & Episcopal.

I am having a hard time understanding why the church is being very difficult planning-wise for us too. Luckily, my dad is close with the priest who is marrying us, who is wonderful! So, if my dad just calls him directly, then we're fine.

BUT, I have now left 5, count 'em--FIVE messages in 2 weeks for the pre-cana person. She hasn't called me back and now I just feel like I'm stalking her

When I lived down in Richmond, I actually went to an Episcopal chruch there (grew up Catholic). They were so community and service oriented, seemed like 'real' people. So much more of how I wish the church was in general...(and sorry for the gross generalization...I know each parish can be very different.....)