Turning up to church wedding just because you can. Would you?

Weddings are the public events so anyone can attend- that is not gatecrashing

Its a public event.
The reception is a private party.

Worse bit do you mean boring?

The service is lovely, a bride turning up, seeing her dress 👗 (probably the most expensive dress she'll ever wear)
The proud parents. What are they wearing
Bridesmaids - colours and style
Choice of hymns

The hopes and dreams for their future together.
Such a happy event

No, because people are talking about going to weddings where there is a general, open invitation to people to attend the ceremony, which is what people are doing. Nobody is turning up to the meal without being invited.

Well, if you attend a wedding that you aren’t invited to, by definition that’s gatecrashing, even if the law says you can technically do so. Do you agree?

Firstly, no-one is "gate-crashing" anything.

Secondly, some of us happen to think the ceremony is the most important and most special part of the day. It is indeed the very thing you are celebrating.

I "have a life" too, and through that life know lots of people, including people I am very fond of. As such, it is then lovely to be able to share in the big events in their lives, which would include their wedding ceremony.

I don't think there are many (any?) people who just randomly turn up to the wedding of people they don't know. Most of us on here are talking about either people who are part of the Church congregation, or people we have known for much of their lives (eg our dcs' friends, or our friends' dc), or people we see regularly at a hobby or work who we are really pleased for and delighted to be able to see them get married, but obviously wouldn't expect to have been invited to the whole day. If they didn't want people to come, they wouldn't have shared the date / time / venue with people, would they ?

It's not something people are doing weekly. I said earlier, I have been to two in the last 12 months, but before that it's about 8 or 9 years since I've been at a wedding where I wasn't a guest at the Reception.

Why the fuck would you gatecrash the ceremony? It’s the worst bit. If you’re going to gatecrash anything, gatecrash the reception, although I accept that’s more difficult. Worth it though, if there’s a buffet.

chopped a bit of my answer - that class went to a wedding at that time of year every year so I don’t think any specific connection to the teacher. Just timing

The wedding couple weren’t known to any of us kids. It’s very weird now I think of it. I do wonder if they knew.

The funeral the whole school went to was our deputy head teacher. I do think they should have just closed the school that day and allowed the teachers to go. She was a lovely lady, but it was quite scary seeing all of the teachers and school staff very upset. The other one was the mum of one of the boys in my class. Would be unheard of now to take an entire class of kids to a funeral.

I wouldn't do it to someone I actually know but would I walk into a random wedding for a couple I'd never met just for a laugh? No also, but I would think anyone that did was hilarious.

Legally you are allowed to attend church weddings. They are meant to be public events. Nothing wierd… It’s harder now many weddings are at venues. We are invited to evening receptions but can’t go along to the marriage ceremony in the way we would have at a church wedding.

When my goddaughter got married in her parish church (in England but a family with strong Irish connections) many of the regular congregation turned out for the wedding service and Nuptial Mass to wish the happy couple well.
In my younger days as a chorister, when church weddings were much more common (fewer alternative venues) we could have a run of three weddings in one afternoon, and there were a regular group of older ladies who would come in and sit at the back; I believe some of them came to funerals as well, but choir was rarely booked for those occasions.

No need to apologise, thanks for answering. I have Googled too, because i couldn't picture it. Wikipedia says it symbolises the house they will build together.

Setting it up for the couple and the flowers sounds a really lovely thing to do.

I'm loosely Christian, but love hearing about other people's customs and cultures. I hope people don't think I'm being racist or nasty when I ask.

Wedding are just lovely regardless of the culture. A young couple full of hopes and dreams for the future. Makes me smile just thinking about it. 😃

This is a completely normal thing for church weddings, particularly where the couple or their family are active members of the church community. I got married on a Friday at the church next to my primary school. Some of the teachers who taught me as a child came across from the school to watch. People from my workplace came on their lunch break to watch too. This is totally normal. I suspect those finding it abnormal are not really active members of any church?

I am in Ireland and while everyone and anyone goes to funerals without a second thought and SOME baptisms can be held at the same time as a normal sermon I have never known of strangers to go to weddings. I mean I am sure it happens dont get me wrong but it would not be the norm.

Yes, I’ve been to a number of weddings and funerals as part of the church congregation. One of the funerals the deceased didn’t have many family, and I felt honoured to be one of the eight in the congregation. And obviously baptisms are usually part of a normal service (as per canon law).

Sorry, should have clarified. Have you seen the canopies Jews get married under on films and such? It’s called a chuppah. Usually has flowers arranged around it and my Grandma always took (and still sometimes takes) great pride in arranging them.

Please excuse my ignorance, well really I'm being nosey, whats the chuppahs?

My Grandma used to go to weddings constantly. She’s Jewish and helps at the synagogue a lot, she’s particularly invested in flower arranging so her and some other elders do the chuppahs for weddings. Naturally she attends the weddings too, she does not know every couple!

I find weddings boring as chuff so can’t see one jot of excitement in this.

That's a bit random especially the funerals.

A nice thought would be if the wedding couple was a friend / relative of your teacher. Teacher maybe couldn't get time off?

1 in 20 kids ha bereaved of a parent or sibling by the time they are 16 a funeral could be really hard for kids.

I'm Scottish and lapsed Catholic. It's absolutely normal for total strangers to be at baptisms and funerals (and presumably also weddings) because they are part of the normal service of the church.

Religious people want to go to services and avail of God's grace, take the sacrament, etc. Some do this daily. Is the suggestion that they shouldn't do so because there's going to be a wedding, funeral, baptism at the service as well?

Was it an after the service event?
Its not unusual for ministers to announce during the service that their will be a Christening after the service.

The never see again is a bit weird the whole point of a Christening is to bless the baby and welcome them into the church.

This lovely Asian international student was sat at the back at my wedding, and as we were leaving she asked for a selfie with us. We were happy to do it because she was just so happy to see a different culture's wedding tradition.

There are lines in the christening service about welcoming the child into the family of the church. We hold most christenings during the Sunday service, and when they have to be at other times, I think we should do more to encourage other members of the congregation to come along. I'm glad some churches are managing that.

Similar in Scotland.