Roman Catholic ceremony
For a Roman Catholic ceremony, at least one of the betrothed must be baptized in the Roman Catholic Church. The ceremony is performed by a priest only on consecrated ground (Catholic church or chapel), it may include a Holy Mass. The duration of the ceremony is usually 30-45 minutes without Mass and 50-90 minutes with Holy Mass.
Both bride and groom undergo pre-wedding preparation with a Roman Catholic priest - foreigners can also undergo this preparation in their own country, with their Roman Catholic priest, and then a Czech priest will marry them in the Czech Republic. A Roman Catholic ceremony for those who are divorced is possible only exceptionally with the permission of the priest/bishop or archbishop.
Another widespread church in the Czech Republic is the Evangelical Czech Brethren Church. Exceptionally, it is possible to allow a wedding within this church even for engaged people who are not members of the Czech Brethren Evangelical Church. They may be members of another church or both unbaptized.
The ceremony can take place in the church of the Evangelical Church of the Czech Brethren or upon agreement with the parish priest, outside the church - for example, in a castle, in a garden. The ceremony usually lasts 30-60 minutes. Part of the preparations are pre-wedding interviews of the engaged couple with a representative of the church. The ceremony for those who are divorced is exceptionally possible after agreement with the priest.
Czechoslovak Hussite Church
We will also mention the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. For the wedding ceremony, at least one person must be a member of this church - exceptions can be agreed upon. The spiritual preparation of the engaged couple for the ceremony takes place in the form of pre-wedding interviews with the priest. Weddings take place in the church of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church or at another suitable place and last 30-60 minutes. The ceremony for those who are divorced is exceptionally possible after agreement with the priest.
PRACTICAL INFOS:
If you wish to have a church ceremony, you can do so before an authorized person of a state-recognized church or religious society. You will submit the same documents to the registry office as for a civil wedding.
Visit the registry office in the district, where your wedding is taking place. In addition to the documents listed above, you will also fill out a request for the issuance of a Certificate of fulfillment of the requirements of the Family Act for the conclusion of a church marriage. The registry office will issue this certificate to you after approval of your documents (usually 3-6 weeks or according to agreement with the registry office - you will then hand it over to the priest. (On the day of the wedding, this document must not be older than 3 months)
After the marriage, it is necessary to deliver the Marriage Protocol back to the register office within 3 working days - this is usually done by the vicar/priest, you or the wedding coordinator. Then, the registry office will issue you a Marriage Certificate
Specific information will be given to you by the priest or the parish administrator. Sometimes the gift to the church or priest is at your discretion, sometimes the amount is set (heating and operation of the church etc.)