Can my friend marry civilly before her fiancé's annulment, then have the marriage blessed?
The short answer
No. A Catholic cannot validly marry outside the Church without permission, so a civil wedding followed by a blessing is not a moral option. The Church presumes his first marriage valid until a tribunal finds otherwise, so she should not even be dating him; she must wait for the annulment's outcome.
Not an option
A Catholic cannot validly marry outside the Church without permission (CIC 1108), so a civil ceremony followed later by a Church blessing is not morally possible.
Presumed valid
The Church presumes the fiancé's first marriage is valid unless the annulment process proves otherwise. Your friend should not even be dating him.
If the annulment is denied
If they married civilly and the tribunal then upheld his first marriage, she would be civilly married to a man the Church recognizes as another woman's husband. The marriage could not be blessed, and while living as his wife she could neither receive the Eucharist nor be absolved in confession.
Wait
She needs to step back and await the result of the annulment process. Only then will she know whether this relationship is one she can morally pursue.
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