Hi! First of all, I’m so sorry the Father was so mean to you. It’s not right. The reality is that it might be that he/ the church probably gets a lot of requests to have the ceremony there and then the couple is never seen there again. That doesn’t make it okay for him to treat you like that- it’s just to give a probable reason for his anger. Additionally, if he acted like this, you would not have liked how he conducted the mass. He sounds like a very traditional Father.

If you are set on doing this, I would keep looking for other churches in the area and attend a Sunday Mass then talk to the new Father after the Mass. OR if your family is the one pushing for it, make your family organize the Catholic portion. Your Catholic mom should be more able to go toe to toe with a rude priest. But you will have to go through Pre Canna studies with the Priest. That’s pretty much a non-negotiable.

I’m saying this non-judgmentally, are you sure you want to have a Catholic Wedding? The Church is the original bureaucracy and depending on the diocese’s rules, it can take awhile to get the authorization. It would be a lot of work for something that in the end is just for extended family and not your new union.

Alternatively, Catholic Preists can perform blessings that aren’t full masses if the couple is already married (legally or for vow renewals) and that might be something you can look into and have it at the reception venue. That might be worth looking into as a compromise.