Weddings
In Different Religious
Traditions
Protestant Christian
• Marriage is not a sacrament in Protestant churches;
it is a religious ritual.
• Protestant ceremonies vary according to the
denomination – the information following is rather
general and does not apply to every church
everywhere, but it is rather common to most.
• Although it is preferred that the ceremony take
place in a church, many Protestant denominations
allow weddings to take place elsewhere. There
generally will be some restrictions, since this is a
religious ceremony.
• The ceremony usually lasts about a half an
hour (unless Communion is being offered.)
• Ceremony includes procession, blessing of
rings, prayers, vows.
• May include Scripture readings and a sermon.
• There is usually at least one vocal piece of
music which may or may not include
congregational singing.
• Many Protestant ceremonies include the
lighting of the Unity Candle.
Greek Orthodox
• An Orthodox wedding is a sacrament
and must take place in the church.
• The ceremony lasts about an hour
The Ceremony:
• Ceremony of betrothal –
blessing and exchange
of rings at the door of
the church
• Crowning w/ floral
crowns (stefania)
attached to one another
w/ a ribbon to symbolize
the glory of God and the
unity of the couple
• Scripture readings (always The Wedding at
Cana from John’s Gospel)
• The bride and groom drink from a common cup
to remind them of the wedding at Cana
• The Dance of Isaiah = the couple walks three
times around an altar on which are placed the
Gospels and a cross – symbolizing the
beginning of their marriage and that Christ is
at the center of the marriage
The Dance
of Isaiah
In an Orthodox wedding, the
Maid/Matron of Honor is called the
Koumbara and the Best Man is the
Koumbaro – they have a more active role
in the ceremony than the Maid of Honor
and Best Man do in Protestant and
Catholic weddings. They must both be
Orthodox Christians.
Jewish Weddings
• Jews consider marriage to be a holy
institution – the Hebrew word for
“wedding” is “kiddushin” = sanctification
• Jewish ceremonies usually last about
half an hour
• There will be some differences in
ceremonies that take place in the
different branches of Judaism
(Orthodox, Reform, etc.)
• Men wear a kippah
or some other head
covering. Whether
or not women cover
their heads varies,
depending upon the
branch of Judaism
• The witnesses (Maid
of Honor and Best
Man) must be Jewish
and may not be
related to the bride
and groom.
The ceremony takes place anywhere a
chuppah (huppah) can be set up – it is a
canopy symbolizing the heavens under which
all life takes place. Often this will be out of
doors
The Ceremony. . .
• The veiling of the bride by the groom before the
ceremony begins
• Both the bride and groom are escorted to the
chuppah by their parents
• The bride walks around the bridegroom 7 times –
symbolizes establishing a new home
• The betrothal – the groom gives the bride a plain gold
ring and says, “Behold, you are betrothed to me with
this ring, according to the Law of Moses.” The couple
is married at this point.
The reading of the
ketubah – the
marriage contract.
This states the
obligations the
groom has towards
the bride. This is
signed by the
witnesses and given
to the bride
• The Rabbi pronounces
seven blessings over a
cup of wine – the cup is
then shared by the
bride and groom
• A glass is placed on the
floor and the groom
shatters it with his foot
– symbolizing that even
at times of great joy,
Jews remember the
sadness in their history
Muslim
• Marriage is not a
religious ritual but a
legal contract between
the man and woman –
therefore it may or may
not take place in a
mosque
• Muslim weddings differ
substantially depending
upon the nation(s) of
origin of the couple
The groom is expected to give a
substantial gift to his wife on or before
the wedding called a mahr – it may be
money, property or even the promise to
pay for her education. This “gift” is
hers to do with as she wishes. The
wedding is not valid until this has been
given and accepted.
The Wedding Ceremony
(al-Nikah):
• Begins with a sermon by
any Muslim male (but
will usually be the imam)
which invites the couple
to live faithful to
Muslim beliefs and
teachings
• Profession of Faith by
all there (“There is no
god but God. . . .”
• Readings from the
Qur’an and the Hadith
• Concluding prayer
• Note that there are no
vows or exchange of
rings. However, many
American and European
Muslims incorporate
these into their
ceremonies.
• It is common in many
Middle Eastern
countries for the bride
to not be present at her
wedding! (Although she
will have witnesses –
usually male relatives
there – to represent her
interests.)
Where local law allows, a Muslim man
may have up to 4 wives – as long as each
is treated equally and respectfully
Buddhist
• There is no specific wedding ceremony
for Buddhists, since Buddhism has
traditionally seen marriage as a secular
institution
• Recently, a ceremony has been
developed by a Buddhist institution in
Hawaii that is growing in popularity.
Buddhist Wedding
• Procession
• Chanting of prayers
from Buddhist texts
• Exchange of vows
• Exchange of rings
• Admonition by priest to
couple to follow the
teachings of the Buddha
and to respect the
sanctity of all life
• Offering of lights and
incense
• Reading of the five ways
that a husband should
minister to his wife are
read from the
Sigalovada Sutta by The
Buddha
• Chanting of The Three
Refuges and/or The
Five Precepts by the
couple
Hindu
• A wedding is a sacrament in Hinduism
• Hindu weddings differ depending on
where the family is from.
• There are often
several weeks worth
of festivities prior
to the actual
wedding.
• The wedding itself
lasts at least two
hours; it may last
for two days!
• A Hindu bride
usually wears a red
and gold sari and has
her hands painted
with henna
(mehendi);
• The groom wears
white and has the
tikka painted on his
forehead
• The wedding takes place in a Hindu temple
• The wedding ceremony itself:
– asks the god of good luck, Ganesha, to bless the
marriage
– the bride is escorted to the wedding canopy by her
uncle and sisters
– the bride’s father places her hand into the hand of
the groom; then he “washes his hands of her” in
water from the Ganges (if possible)
• the groom recites
various hymns from
the Vedas about love
and marriage
• the wedding fire is
lit (sacred to the
god Agni) and
parched grain is
offered by the bride
• the bride and groom
walk around the fire
seven times while
asking the gods to
bless their marriage
and taking vows to
one another
• the groom places a
necklace (or sacred
string) on the bride
(they do this instead
of exchanging rings)
and he recites a
blessing over her
• the ceremony concludes
with prayers for the
couple
• the bride and groom
process out with their
guests showering them
with flower petals and
rice
• other rituals may be
added, depending upon
time constraints, the
ethnic origin of bride
and groom, specific
gods/goddesses
worshipped by the
couple and the wealth of
the families
What Do Different Religions Allow?
Inter-Faith Weddings
Catholic Church:
• allowed in church and will be considered
a sacrament with another Christian
• allowed in church but will not be
considered a sacrament with a nonChristian
• any marriage outside of the Church,
without receiving a Dispensation of
Form, is considered non-sacramental and
invalid
Protestant Christians:
• generally allowed with all Christians
• Some conservative groups do not allow
weddings with non-Christians
• Note: a few Evangelical and Pentecostal
Christian Churches do not consider
Catholics to be Christians!
Orthodox Christians:
• to be a sacrament, a marriage must take
place between two members of the
Orthodox faith
• inter-faith weddings are not allowed in
church and are not accepted as valid
(sacramental)
Jewish
• a Jewish wedding is, by definition, a
contract between two Jews
• Orthodox and Conservative rabbis will
not officiate at an inter-faith wedding
• some Reform rabbis will officiate, but
will not usually concelebrate with clergy
of another religion
• an inter-faith wedding will not include
the signing of the ketubah
Islam
• traditionally, a Muslim man may marry a
Christian or Jewish woman
• a Muslim woman may not marry outside
the faith
• this is changing among Muslims in the
U.S. and Europe, where inter-marriage
with Christians and Jews is sometimes
accepted
Hinduism:
• accepts that all paths to God are valid
• allows marriages between Hindus and
members of differing faiths with no
restrictions
Buddhism:
• does not see weddings as a religious
ceremony
• any marriage that is legal is considered
valid
In Conclusion
• Over 50% of Americans will marry
someone whose religious tradition is
different from their own
• If religion is important to you, it is
essential that you understand the rules
of both religions before planning your
wedding ceremony
• If you want a religious ceremony,
especially one that incorporates
elements from both your faiths, the
Unitarian and the Baha’i faiths are open
to designing a unique, but meaningful,
ceremony
• However, such a ceremony will not be
considered sacramental by the Catholic
Church