Wedding Planning: Communion at Your Catholic Wedding

Your wedding day should be about your marriage, not your intestines. But if you or your spouse-to-be has celiac disease, you’ll need to think through the Communion logistics in advance.

Here’s how to handle it so it becomes a non-issue on the big day.

During Your Wedding Prep

When you meet with your priest for marriage preparation, mention the celiac diagnosis. This is the time to settle three questions:

1. Will Communion be offered at your wedding Mass? (Some couples opt for a wedding ceremony without Mass, talk to your priest about options.)

2. If yes, what accommodation will you use? Low-gluten host, cup only, or both.

3. Will guests also receive Communion? If so, you’ll need the same parish-level logistics as any Mass.

Don’t leave this to the week before. Settle it during your first few meetings, and then put it out of your mind.

The Nuptial Mass Options

Option 1: Wedding Mass with Communion for All

Most common. The couple receives first, then guests who wish to receive.

If you have celiac disease, your host (or cup-only arrangement) is prepared in advance. You receive from the priest, just as at any Mass. Simple.

Option 2: Wedding Mass with Communion Only for the Couple

Less common but permitted. Some couples choose this if they’re marrying someone who can’t receive (non-Catholic, not yet confirmed, etc.) or for logistical simplicity.

This actually makes your celiac accommodation easier, there’s only one host to manage.

Option 3: Wedding Ceremony Without Mass

Permitted, especially for mixed marriages or pastoral reasons. No Communion logistics at all.

Discuss with your priest if this might suit your situation.

Logistics for the Celiac Bride or Groom

Before the Wedding

• Confirm your low-gluten host is secured (bring your own or verify the parish has them)
• Communicate with whoever sets up the altar
• Do a brief run-through at rehearsal if you’re anxious
• Know where the cup will be if that’s your backup

At the Wedding

• Your host should be in a separate pyx on the altar
• The priest receives first, then offers Communion to the couple
• Receive as you normally would
• Nothing special needs to be announced or explained

If Things Go Wrong

Even if something gets mixed up, you have the cup. That’s your fail-safe. Try not to let the worry follow you up the aisle.

What About Your Spouse?

If your spouse doesn’t have celiac disease, they receive normally. You receive your way.

Some couples like the symbolism of receiving from the same chalice. If that matters to you, mention it to your priest, he can offer you both the cup after you’ve each received the host (or after you’ve received however you receive).

But honestly, the symbolism of your wedding is in the vows, the rings, the consent. The Communion logistics are a tiny footnote.

A Note on Wedding Cakes and Receptions

This article is about the Mass, but since you’re planning: don’t forget the reception.

Many bakeries can make a gluten-free wedding cake or a gluten-free tier for you. Plan ahead. Communicate clearly. Have someone designated to manage cross-contamination at the cake cutting if needed.

And for the love of all that’s holy, don’t let anyone pressure you to eat regular cake “just this once” because it’s your wedding day.

When Both Partners Have Celiac Disease

Rare, but it happens. In this case, you’re both receiving low-gluten hosts or from the cup. The logistics are identical, just doubled.

Consider it a bonding experience. You already understand each other in a way most couples don’t.

The Bigger Picture

Your wedding Mass is the beginning of your sacramental marriage. You’re not just receiving Communion, you’re receiving it together, as a couple, for the first time as husband and wife.

That’s profound regardless of the gluten content of your host.

The Church has made provision for you to receive fully and validly. Use that provision. And then focus on what matters: the person next to you, the vows you’ve made, the life you’re beginning.

A Prayer for Celiac Couples on Their Wedding Day

Lord, today we begin our life together. We come to Your altar with joy, and with bodies that work imperfectly, like everyone else’s.

Thank You for making a way for us to receive You, even with our limitations. As we receive You today for the first time as husband and wife, let this Communion be a sign of all the grace our marriage will need.

Unite us to You. Unite us to each other. And when the logistics of life get complicated, as they will, remind us that Your grace flows anyway.

Bless our marriage. Bless this day. Bless the small accommodations that make everything possible.

Amen.