Q & A

Subject: Follow-up to Marriage in France.

Question: Thank you very much for your response. You were very helpful. I do have more questions. Can you give me some information about Beziers, France. That's where my wedding is to take place. My fiancé has never been there, his family moved there about two years ago. Are there any other Churches there other than catholic? What happens if we marry here in America first(civil marriage) then come there(Beziers).What are the requirements since we will already be married. Neither one of us have baptism papers. My fiancé were baptized in his native country Africa (Burkina Faso) about 9 years ago. He has misplaced his records. He said that his baptism took place in a small village outside of his country and he doesn't know if they keep the records. His mother has already chosen the Catholic Church and the priest. They told me that there were only catholic churches in Bezier. Is that true? Where else can we marry without being catholic? I am Non-Denominational. What if we get baptized here in a Non-Denominational church, can we still get married in the church that his mother chooses? Can you put me in contact with some churches, ministers or priest in Beziers? I need someone that can speak English. I hope that I didn't ask too many questions, it's just hard to plan a wedding so far away especially when you can’t speak the language. Any advise or suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

Answer: I was only able to find information in French about Beziers. I would suggest that you buy a Michelin Guide or try their web site, www.viamichelin.com. Try doing a search for the town of Bezier. What I can tell you is that Beziers is in the Department of the Hérault(34). This is very close to the Mediterranean Ocean. As for a way to find a non Catholic church, try the French yellow pages at http://wfc.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi?lang=en. I don’t think it will work to get married in the US and use that as the civil marriage. When you arrive to get married in a church in France the first thing the priest or minister will do is asked to see you civil wedding papers. No civil wedding papers no church wedding. I don’t think that it will be a problem not having baptism papers. Most likely the priest will ask your fiancé to sign a paper stating he was baptized. I would not worry so much about not being baptized. The church may be more lenient than your future in-laws are leading you to believe. That is the way it worked out for us. Remember the church wedding is not legal, it is only for the family. However, a public, church wedding is very much a part of French culture. With regards to not speaking French, perhaps the best plan would be to hire a translator.

Related Link:
http://www.americansinfrance.net/Culture/marriage.cfm

Follow @jeffsteiner