Christian Wedding Traditions

Christians the world over celebrate their weddings, incorporating a little bit of the customs and traditions of the land of their birth into the main ceremonies. Though the Indian bride too might wear white, she might be clad in a saree with a small veil covering her face. Goans have their own customs, as do Syrian Christians. But some rituals are common to all.

The Announcement
Public declaration of the wedding is an essential element of the Christian wedding. A notice is announced in the local papers; the church where the wedding is scheduled to take place will also have the notice. Three weeks prior to the actual event, the bans will be read out.

The Engagement party
The bride’s parents traditionally host this. It could be a formal dinner, buffet lunch or a cocktail party. The bride and the groom exchange their engagement rings at this time.

Wedding Rituals

Welcoming the Bride
The groom's Best Man welcomes the bride on the groom's behalf with a kiss on her cheek and with a bouquet, as she arrives at the church in a car sent by the groom.

Inside the Church
Proceedings inside the church are a succession of rituals, one followed by the other. The couple walks down the corridor slowly but gracefully till they reach where the priest stands, who welcomes them and offers his best wishes. The priest then commences the procession of reading psalms from the Holy Bible. He then renders a sermon called Homily, which dwells on the sacredness of the wedlock. The Homily being over, the priest asks the bride and the groom some customary questions pertaining to their consent for the marriage, which both of them have to answer in acquiescent.

The bride and the groom then make the Solemn Promise to each other, stating that they will stay together in thick and thin. This is followed by the exchange of the wedding rings, which are first blessed by the priest to instill in the bearers an everlasting love and an earnest faith. The priest prays for the couple and the couple renders a thanksgiving prayer to the Almighty. The ceremony comes to an end with the priest giving the final blessing to the couple. The gathering, towards the end, shower their blesses on the newly wed. The last formality is the signing of the church register by the couple and the priest, which affirms the wedding, been held. One facsimile of the signed page is also dispatched to the Registrar of Marriages.

Post - Wedding Rituals

The Reception
This is a tradition rather than a ritual, which has been adapted by almost all the religions in India. This is basically a party thrown as a of the wedding. Evidently, the reception has an ambience of merriment and wild spree with the guests dancing to the tunes of the band. The ultimate live music can be enjoyed in the wedding receptions in Goa, where the people are extraordinarily adept at music.

The couple cuts the wedding cake and exchanges a mouthful of it. The first bites having been tasted by the couple, the rest of the cake is distributed amongst the guests. The bride and groom then waltz together on the sober tunes being played. They are later joined by the groom's parents and then by all the guests. The dance being over, the dinner is served, after which the bride and the groom take their leave from the reception, with the bride being followed by the groom with a bouquet in his hands.