Catholic wedding possible?

[Andrea J.]

i am checking with the ATA on "them not allowing weddings at alto vista chapel"
i do not think they the ATA has any jurisdiction on that but i am checking.

Originally Posted by RubinO77

I am getting married on the island in 13 days, in a Catholic Church, by an Aruban priest. It is very possible, and doesn't require a lot of the hoops that previous posts have mentioned.

Last Feb my fiancee and I visited Aruba to plan the wedding. We sat with and spoke to the priest at Santa Ana, and San Francisco. I'm not sure if the priests have changed, but at that time both would not marry a non resident in their church. We also checked into the Chapel at Alto Vista as this was our first choice, however the Aruba Tourism authority does not allow weddings to take place there.

After some perserverance and visiting a few other churches, we were able to find an accomodating priest and church. We too could not afford to bring our home priest with us, even though I'm sure he would have loved to come along for the trip.

Overall there was some paperwork that needed to be filed, but nothing out of the ordinary or difficult to obtain. We have our civil ceremony in Aruba on 2/10 (which is a pre-requirement to any wedding ceremony), and our church ceremony on 2/13.

If you have any questions please message me and I'll get back to you... I am as aware of the process as I possibly can be. I'm hesitant to name the church and priest on here b/c I am not sure if he would want to be bombarded with non resident wedding requests.

I suggest you get a wedding planner and they will explain and suggest possible churches/priests. My fiancee and I are working with Lissy Lampe of Ceremonies & Celebrations. She is absolutely a pleasure to work with and has made the long distance wedding planning as easy as possible.

13 days!

Rubin

[Jason_Margarita]

You know something Andrea, after reading that post I was also intrigued as to what type of power ATA would have over a church...So I called Father Totti, and he told me that the government of Aruba made a request to the priest, about 16 years ago to halt all weddings at the Chapel, and recognize it as a historical landmark with immense importance.

Apparently having repeated weddings there was affecting the building and the state it is in...to much foot traffic, decorations, drinking and other stuff that would happen during and after a ceremony.

Yet, weddings can be held there, and would require a letter from the office of the Minister of Tourism, according to Father Totti.

__________________________________________________
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[Andrea J.]

ahh makes sense

i am waiting to hear from guido, at the ata.

[tight_lines]

Hi. I hope all your wedding planning is going well. This post is in regards to a Catholic wedding not to getting married in Aruba.

My wife and I were married last year in a Catholic church. I am not Catholic but my wife is and we had a "mixed marriage" ceremony, not a mass since I was not Catholic. If I recall your post, you stated that you were going to get married in Aruba and then upon your return home, you were going to get blessed by your priest. I would check with your priest on the requirements related to the blessing to make sure you get everything done that is required for a dispensated Catholic wedding. Definitely a lot of red tape.

[misslatin]

hello Tight_lines! Congratulations on your wedding, and I hope you have a brilliant time in Aruba. I have checked with my church and we are starting our pre-marriage course in May. My partner and I are bringing our children up in the catholic faith, they have both been baptised by my local priest, so he really hasn't got a problem in giving us a blessing in the church, which is really nice.
All the best,

[Karen Lutzker]

The ATA has nothing to do as to whether or not anyone can get married in an Aruba Catholic Church. I know this from experience and I know for a fact that several Catholic couples have had Catholic marriage ceremonies in an Aruba Church and do know first hand what the procedure is.

[Arubalisa]

Originally Posted by Karen Lutzker

The ATA has nothing to do as to whether or not anyone can get married in an Aruba Catholic Church. I know this from experience and I know for a fact that several Catholic couples have had Catholic marriage ceremonies in an Aruba Church and do know first hand what the procedure is.

You are absolutely correct. Foreigners, with the proper documentation ARE permitted to marry in the Catholic church in Aruba with the approval of the priest, not the Aruba Tourism Authority.

The original reference as noted below was not in regards to marriages in Catholic churches but at Alto Vista Chapel.

Originally Posted by RubinO77

I am getting married on the island in 13 days, in a Catholic Church, by an Aruban priest. It is very possible, and doesn't require a lot of the hoops that previous posts have mentioned.

Last Feb my fiancee and I visited Aruba to plan the wedding. We sat with and spoke to the priest at Santa Ana, and San Francisco. I'm not sure if the priests have changed, but at that time both would not marry a non resident in their church. We also checked into the Chapel at Alto Vista as this was our first choice, however the Aruba Tourism authority does not allow weddings to take place there.

Originally Posted by RubinO77

After some perserverance and visiting a few other churches, we were able to find an accomodating priest and church.

Originally Posted by Jason_Margarita

... I was also intrigued as to what type of power ATA would have over a church...So I called Father Totti, and he told me that the government of Aruba made a request to the priest, about 16 years ago to halt all weddings at the Chapel, and recognize it as a historical landmark with immense importance.

[Andrea J.]

I heard back from my supervisor at the ATA.

"Bon dia Andrea…

That is correct, the Catholic Church does not allow it. The ATA has no authority to decide in this matter."

so that is the answer NO to Catholic weddings at the Alto Vista chapel.

[Karen Lutzker]

A Catholic Priest will not perform a catholic ceremony at Alta Vista. However, one of the Aruba Reverand's will perform a non-religious ceremony outside Alta Vista. I have seen several photos taken outside of Alta Vista for small ceremonies.