Wedding Traditions
and Religious Ceremony Customs
Wedding traditions and customs may vary greatly from one wedding to another. Whether your wedding will be a civil ceremony or a religious one, it will be the most important and significant event of your entire wedding day.
It will mark the legal joining of two people, through traditional vows or personalized vows written by the bride and groom.
Many wedding ceremonies include wedding traditions, rituals, customs and/or spiritual beliefs that have been passed down through generations of their family tree. Rituals add meaning to a ceremony and honor your heritage.
Your wedding ceremony will be a meaningful and joyful celebration of your commitment and love. The words you speak, music and wedding traditions you incorporate, provides the opportunity to express your spiritual beliefs, thoughts and feelings as you embark on a new chapter in your life as husband and wife.
The first decision that you will need to make, is what type of ceremony you plan to have? Religious or Civil?
Civil Wedding Ceremony
A civil wedding ceremony is a secular ceremony that is performed within legal proceedings determined by the state instead of by the laws of a church or temple.
Your civil ceremony can be performed by a judge, mayor or other authorized officiant and can take place in a courtroom, judge's chambers, private home, hotel, garden.
Each state determines rules and regulations for a civil ceremony. Each couple should check with the marriage bureau for requirements of their state.
Civil ceremonies work well when couples have no strong religious preferences, couples whose religious beliefs are significantly different or couples who are marrying for the second time.
Religious Wedding Traditions
Religious wedding ceremonies are governed by covenants and laws of religious faiths. Many members of the clergy are willing to perform these wedding ceremonies in places outside of a church, or house of worship.
Couples with strong religious views or religious families, choose to have a religious wedding ceremony.
Couples must discuss their religious beliefs and agreed upon those beliefs. It is important to find an officiant who understands and respects your religious beliefs in order to perform your wedding ceremony.
If a couple has different beliefs or religious faiths they must find a way to blend and celebrate each of their religious backgrounds during their wedding ceremony. Many couples hire two officiants to conduct an interfaith marriage ceremony.
Catholic Wedding Traditions
In the Catholic Church, marriage is considered one of the seven sacraments and is a serious and lasting religious commitment.
Most Catholic Churches require pre-marital counseling or classes in order to prepare for this lifelong commitment.
The Catholic Church discourages weddings from taking place during holy days and on Sundays.
Traditional vows are required, slight changes may be allowed as long as the meaning stays the same.
Some brides traditionally places a bouquet of flowers at the shrine of the Virgin Mary, followed by a silent prayer is said by the bride.
Lighting of the unity candle. The bride and groom use two smaller candles to light one large candle signifying a new life as one.
Catholic priests usually agree to officate with a Protestant minister. These two ceremonies are similar. Some interfaith ceremonies do not have a Nuptial Mass. In those ceremonies that do have a Nuptial Mass, the non-Catholics do not participate in Holy Communion. A combination of both religious traditions should be celebrated in an interfaith ceremony.
Divorced Catholics must obtain a church annulment in order to be remarried in the Catholic Church.
Jewish Wedding Traditions
There are four main groups within the Jewish religion, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist. Orthodox is the most is the strictest of the group in following the Jewish law.
Conservative falls in the middle, Reform and Reconstructionist are the most liberal of the four.
Differences between these traditions:
The Orthodox tradition the rabbi will not marry divorced persons unless they have a religious as well as civil decree. The men and women are seated in separate areas of the synagogue.
The Conservative ceremony is less rigid when it comes to the Jewish law. Many traditions are similar to the Orthodox. Wedding services are provided in both Hebrew and English.
Wedding attire is conventional, men wear caps or yarmulkes during the ceremony and the ring is placed on the index finger of the bride’s right hand. Ceremonies are performed under a chuppah or canopy which symbolizes cohabitation and consummation.
A Conservative and Orthodox Rabbi will not perform marriages of mixed faiths.
The Reform ceremony is performed in English and some Hebrew may be spoken. Ceremonies may be performed under a chuppah but it is not mandatory, men have the option of wearing a yarmulkes if they choose to. The wedding ceremony begins and ends with a blessing of wine, the couple sip from the same cup.
The exchange of rings in a Jewish ceremony represents the exchange of material goods, which must take place to validate a Jewish wedding.
The Ketubah is a marriage contract that is finely decorated and lists the bride’s rights in the marriage. It is presented to the bride after the exchange of rings. The ceremony is ended by the reading of the seven blessings. The couple drinks blessed wine from a glass and then the glass is wrapped in a napkin and smashed by the groom’s foot.
Many of the guests will say, mazel tov which means good star, good position of your stars or good fortune.
After the ceremony the bride and groom will depart into a separate area for a private moment to savor their new union, this is called the Yichud.
Jewish weddings may take place at any time except the Sabbath, major festivals or other holy days. It may not take place during the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, with the exception of the 33rd day.
For more information about Jewish wedding traditions visit
www.jewish-wedding-rabbi.com
The Jewish Wedding Rabbi officiates a traditional Jewish Wedding ceremony with personalization for each couple. The over 2,000 year old traditions and customs of the Jewish wedding ceremony are beautiful and all couples will feel a connection.
Protestant Wedding Traditions
Most Protestant churches have similar wedding traditions but each denomination has its own practices and traditions. Each couple should go over these practices with the church and it's clergy where they decide to get married.
Clergy is reluctant to perform weddings on Sundays and holy days.
There may be restrictions regarding certain music, photography, and the use of candles. Couple may be required to attend pre-marital counseling sessions with a clergyman.
Most denominations will perform interfaith marriages, as long as the bride or the groom is a baptized member of that denomination.
A "church judgment" or civil divorcee papers may be required from the church in the case of divorced persons.
Protestant weddings require that the bride be walked down the aisle and given away by her father. If her father is not available, a brother, relative or friend may perform this duty or she may walk down the aisle alone.
The wedding vows end with "till death do us part" and the Lord's Prayer.
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