Yes, a church wedding outdoors is possible in Poland. How it is organised depends on the tradition and the rules of each Church. Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Polish Catholic Church have their own rules about where a marriage can take place, so below we set out what each of them offers.
The short answer
- Roman Catholic Church: the wedding takes place in a church. Another place is possible only with the bishop’s permission, and in Poland such permission is rare.
- Polish Catholic Church: an outdoor wedding is possible. It is sacramental and has civil effect, so you do not need a separate wedding at the registry office.
- Civil wedding: since 2015 it can take place outside the registry office, with the consent of the head of the registry office.
Roman Catholic weddings: the rule and the exception
The Code of Canon Law says that a marriage between Catholics is celebrated in the parish church of one of the couple. It can take place in another church or chapel with the permission of the parish priest or the bishop (canon 1118 § 1).
The next paragraph describes the exception: the diocesan bishop can allow a marriage to be celebrated “in another suitable place” (canon 1118 § 2). This is the rule that makes a wedding in a garden, by the sea or in a forest possible. In practice it works like this:
- The couple go to their parish priest and explain why they want to marry outside a church.
- The parish priest gives his opinion on the request and passes it on to the diocesan curia.
- The bishop decides. This can take time, so it is worth asking for permission at the very start of your preparations.
In Poland, bishops rarely agree to an outdoor wedding. Simply wanting to marry in a beautiful place is usually not enough of a reason.
Polish Catholic weddings outdoors
Marriage is a sacrament, and the ceremony can take place in a special setting: by the sea, by a lake, in a garden or in a forest.
A Polish Catholic wedding has civil effect. This is set out in article 9a of the Act on the relationship between the State and the Polish Catholic Church in the Republic of Poland.
Does an outdoor wedding have civil effect?
Yes, the procedure is the same as for a concordat wedding:
- Before the wedding, the couple go to the Civil Registry Office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego) for a certificate stating that there are no impediments to the marriage.
- The certificate is given to the minister who performs the wedding.
- After the ceremony, the minister sends the documents to the registry office, and the office draws up the marriage certificate.
How it works with us
The ceremonies we organise are led by a priest of the Polish Catholic Church. We help you choose the place, prepare the altar and the setting, and go through the formalities at the registry office. We work in the Tricity, in Kashubia and across Pomerania.
You can read more about how we work on our Services page. If you already have a date or a place, write to us.
Sources
- Code of Canon Law, canon 1118 (English text on the Vatican website)
- Act of 30 June 1995 on the relationship between the State and the Polish Catholic Church in the Republic of Poland, art. 9a (consolidated text, Dz.U. 2023 item 51, in Polish)
- Civil weddings outside the registry office: infor.pl (in Polish)
