Brandon Scott
Following the publication of the Iona Institute’s new study ‘The rapid rise of ‘New Age’ weddings in Ireland: how should the churches respond?’, which reveals that fewer couples are opting for church weddings, journalist and commentator Breda O’Brien said that it can be challenging for churches to compete with the range of options on offer by alternative providers but one way they may respond is by permitting outdoor weddings in certain circumstances.
While Catholic Church weddings still remained the most popular type of ceremony with couples last year at 34.3%, this compares to 91.4% in 1994. The second most popular option for couples getting married last year was a civil ceremony, which was chosen by 32%.
Highlighting the benefits of church weddings amid the decline to The Irish Catholic, Ms O’Brien said that the key distinction between a church wedding and any other form is that the couple are not just preparing for a lavish day-out, but for a life together and this aspect needs to be promoted in parishes.
“I think a wonderful advantage in terms of marriage is that it’s not just preparation for a wedding, it’s preparation for a life together and I think if that aspect were pushed more and ordinary parishioners were encouraged to say this to people who are getting married, not to put pressure but just to facilitate the conversation I think that would definitely help,” she said.
Considering ways in which churches might respond to the prevailing trends, Ms O’Brien said that it may be valuable for dioceses to permit other types of celebrations outside of the traditional church environment, such as outdoor weddings, which have become increasingly popular in the US.
“Some dioceses in the US have experimented with allowing outdoor weddings but in very limited circumstances and with major commitment to marriage preparation and to being involved in your parish afterwards,” she said. “Maybe that’s something the Church could look at but it certainly wouldn’t be the panacea.”
Ms O’Brien believes that the underlying reason for the growth of non-church weddings is down to the luxury of choice couples are offered when they inquire with alternative providers and coupled with the rise of individualism in society, the desire to explore other settings and customs becomes quite tempting for people.
“We’re moving increasingly to an individualistic view of life,” she said. “The alternative providers will say ‘oh, we’ll do whatever you want’. I’ve been at weddings where there are readings from extraordinary places and so on.
“People went to a church on autopilot 30 years ago, they’re now almost on autopilot going to a venue like a hotel or a castle without really thinking about it.”