A Christian wedding usually is conducted in a Church. Christian Weddings usually are quiet and beautiful affair. The bride is dressed in white attire with a veil on her head covering her face and groom in a suit. The bride also wears a graceful tiara or a bunch of white flowers and she holds a flower bouquet in her hand. The Christian wedding is graceful yet simple and involves the exchange of wedding bands and marriage vows by the bridal couple. The marriage ceremony is preceded by a group of choir singers.
Pre-Wedding Rituals
Bridal Shower: Bridal Shower is one of the major pre-wedding customs of a Christian Wedding. This is basically a fun-filled and entertaining informal party, which is hosted by the bride`s female friends. Friends and relatives present gifts to the bride-to-be and give blessings for a blissful married life. Following the tradition, the bride serves a pink cake to all. Uniqueness of the cake is that there is a thimble hidden inside this cake. It is believed that a girl who receives the piece of cake with a thimble will be the next to get married.
Bachelor`s Party: Bachelor`s Party is the male version of the Bridal Shower and is hosted by the groom for his friends. It is essentially a stag party organized on the eve of the wedding or a couple of days before the wedding where a groom is expected to enjoy his last evening as a bachelor. A Bachelor`s Party typically begins by raising a toast before the drinking begins in earnest.
Wedding Ceremony
Welcoming the Bride: Unlike any other Indian wedding, the Christian wedding witnesses a ceremony of welcoming the bride. Groom sends a car to pick up the bride and waits for her outside the church. Following the tradition, when the bride arrives, the Best Man welcomes her with a kiss on either cheek and hands her a bouquet of flowers. Following this ritual, the couple walks down the aisle accompanied by the wedding procession. Inside the church, the couple walks up to the place where the priest stands for the wedding mass. The priest then welcomes them and offers his best wishes.
The Wedding Mass: The priest begins the wedding mass with hymns and selected reading from the bible. The priest then delivers the homily, with an emphasis on the sanctity of marriage. The next most important ritual is the blessings and the exchange of wedding rings, which are the symbols of a bond of everlasting love and faith between the couple and marriage vows by the couple. Finally, the newly wed couple signs the register and walk down the aisle arm in arm.
Post-Wedding Reception
Like all the other Indian weddings, Christian wedding too is followed by a reception as the most vibrant and fun filled occasion. As the newly wed couple enters a grand reception ceremony all with a shower of confetti welcomes them. Following the tradition, the happy couple also cut a wedding cake and feed each other a bite of the first slice. The Toastmaster proposes a toast in honor of the couple. The reception is mostly celebrated with dance and dinner party.
More on Indian Religious Weddings
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More on Types of Marriages
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(Last Updated on : 12/12/2008)
