... in response to latin women, posted by branson on Aug 14, 2001Great posts on this topic! It it true that many LA women are, at best, nominal Catholics; however, they will factor in quite heavily the Church connection at the time of the wedding.
Chances are she wants a church wedding more than anything (unless she is divorced, in which case a home / garden civil ceremony is more likely). This church wedding will not happen without the priest's say-so. This means pre-wedding counseling and your agreement to raise the kids Catholic, whether or not you convert.
In the Catholic church marriage is a sacrament. If you have a solid set of Christian beliefs you can often have that church wedding with your agreement to honor her faith and raise the kids Catholic. However, this is not a guarantee. Some priests are more strict than others in this regard, and you are more likely to get some leeway in the larger cities where there is a greater melding of influences from other cultures. In my case, el sacerdote was not the least bit willing to bend the rules. This is not a problem for us, because I have assured my novia (and just as important, her mother) that the kids will have a Catholic household even if we as divorcees cannot have a church wedding.
Do not underestimate the importance of religion in your relationship. On more than one occasion the question of faith was one of the first few questions I have been asked by a woman or her family within minutes of meeting her (the first being "Are you married?").
