Detailed procedures for Christian weddings
1. Wedding procession of bride and groom entering the auditorium
The types of wedding processions listed below are all signals that the wedding is about to begin. Usually The receptionist will first guide the bride's mother into the venue, and the receptionist will inform the pastor that the wedding can begin.
When the bridegroom, bride and groomsmen enter the venue, they can face the congregation or the altar. In addition, in smaller churches, families of both parties are sometimes arranged to sit in the choir. At this time, it is best for the bride and groom to face the altar. Generally speaking, most brides and grooms choose to face the altar.
Category 1: The groom and best man, accompanied by the priest, enter from the room next to the altar, and then stand in front of the altar. When the wedding procession enters the venue and the music sounds, led by the bridesmaids, flower girls, children holding rings, and children holding candles, the bride enters the venue in her dress and is accompanied by her escort (usually her father).
Category 2: The bride and groom enter the venue together, and the wedding guides in front also enter the venue in pairs. Flower girls, children holding rings, and children holding candles will also lead the guests into the venue.
Category 3: The bride and groom can enter the venue in different ways. The bride and groom can be accompanied by their mother, son or daughter.
2. Wedding call and prayer
Everything has a beginning. Once the bride and groom, the congregation and wedding-related personnel enter the venue, the priest declares the wedding to begin. Usually, this is also a question of asking the congregation if there are any legal reasons that would prevent the wedding from going ahead. According to past experience, usually no one will bring up factors that hinder the wedding.
After the announcement, it was followed by a prayer asking God to bless today’s wedding. In this wedding, the bride and groom are willing to express their desire to get married in front of God and people. Therefore, they hope to receive spiritual submission in their upcoming marriage. For Christians, such prayers are even more important. In the face of different beliefs and cultures, this prayer also shows respect for the different cultures of the bride and groom.
Traditional wedding opening prayer:
Let us bow our heads and pray, Almighty and everlasting God, our actions and survival depend on you. Please give us a pure heart and an upright spirit, and do not let selfish desires prevent us from knowing your will, nor let weakness prevent us from obeying your will. In this way, we can see the light in your light through Jesus Christ, There is true freedom in you. Please be with us at this moment and bless our gathering today according to your faithfulness, now and forever. Amen.
Improved wedding opening prayer:
Let us bow our heads and pray, Heavenly Father God, you are the creator of heaven and earth and all things. You created the world and care for it. We rely on your power to protect us. Please give us a clean, new, upright spirit. Don’t let selfish desires prevent us from knowing your will, nor let weakness prevent us from obeying your will. Please bless the groom (full name) and the bride (full name). When they come to you and are willing to enter into the marriage contract together, let us share the joy from you with the new couple and support them. They build their new family. We pray, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
3. Light the candles
The candles and candlesticks are prepared by the couple. Three candles, usually white, but you can choose other colors. Three candles were placed in front of the newlyweds. The candle in the middle is called the "marriage candle" or the "unity candle". This candle is larger than the two "family candles" next to it. If the candles are brought in at the beginning of the wedding, then the middle candle should be placed first, and only the two family candles next to it should be brought in.
When lighting the candles, you can play a piece of music, or a choir or an individual can sing a hymn, or the whole congregation can sing a hymn. It all works.
In the wedding process, the process of lighting candles is divided into two parts. The first part is to light the family candle, and the second part is to light the middle marriage candle. The second part is ignited after the vows and marriage declaration have been completed.
The first part of the candle-lighting process can be held at this time, or it can be started earlier. For example, it can be lit before the mother of the couple sits down. Usually the mother of the couple sits down last, and the wedding ceremony begins. To start, you can light a candle when the mother sits down. If this is the case, there is no need to say the following words.
Four. Readings from the Scriptures and other collections
1) If I can speak in the tongues of thousands of people and the words of angels, but do not have love, I am like a sounding gong or a clanking cymbal. 2) If I have the power of prophecy, understand all mysteries, all knowledge, and have perfect faith, which enables me to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3) If I give all I have to the poor and give my body to be burned but do not have love, it will still gain me nothing. 4) Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous; love does not boast or be arrogant; 5) Love does not do rude things; it does not seek its own; it is not easily angered; it does not take into account the wrongs of others; 6) Rejoices in unrighteousness, but only rejoices in truth; 7) Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8) Love never ends. The power of prophesying will eventually come to nothing; the power of speaking in tongues will eventually cease; and the power of knowledge will eventually come to nothing. 9) What we know now is limited, and what the prophets said is also limited. 10) When the perfect comes, this limited thing will disappear. 11) When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and thought like a child. But when I became a man, I put aside childish things. 12) Now we seem to be looking in a mirror, blurry (original text: like guessing a riddle); then we will be face to face. What I know now is limited, but then I will know everything, just as the Lord knows me.
One of the general collections: Marriage is a promise of love
Marriage is a promise made with one's body. In this promise, two people give themselves and find themselves. In marriage, two people share and grow with each other. No other relationship in the world can compare with marriage. The commitment of marriage is a commitment of body and soul, for life and forever.
In pure love, marriage encompasses the most important relationship in life. In marriage, wife and husband are each other's best friends, confidants, lovers, teachers, listeners, and counselors. In marriage, sometimes the person we love is inevitably sad or sick. At this time, our love is like a parent comforting a crying child in his arms.
Marriage makes our lives richer. Because of marriage, our joy is satisfied, our thoughts are renewed, our commitment becomes stronger, and even our anger becomes stronger, but also Gone faster and easier.
Marriage allows us to understand and forgive that mistakes in life are inevitable. Therefore, marriage can encourage and guide us to build new lives, new experiences, and express our infinite love in new ways in various encounters in life.
When two people promise to care and love each other in marriage, they also create a unique life. This life can unite them more closely and become one body than any words or words in the world. Marriage is a commitment and a potential that grows and grows in the hearts of two people who love each other. Such a marriage is a lifelong and lasting commitment.
3. Engagement Questions and Answers
Engagement Questions and Answers are one of the key procedures in a wedding. Usually such questions and answers are also regarded as part of the marriage vows or commitments. It should be noted that at this stage, the word "I will" is used instead of "I am", which is very meaningful. Because this reminds couples that "willingness" is an important key when building a married life.
Usually, the marriage ceremony is held after the blessing of both families. After the engagement question and answer, the engagement vows were taken.
Category 1 (Traditional)
(Full name), are you willing to marry this woman as your wife?
Answer: I do.
(Full name), are you willing to marry this man to be your husband?
Answer: I do.
Category 2 (Personal)
(Full name), would you like (Full name) to be your wife?
Answer: I do.
(Full name), would you like (Full name) to be your husband?
Answer: I do.
Category Three (Improved)
(Full Name), will you take (Full Name) as your wife, to be with her in the holy covenant of marriage? Life? Regardless of illness or health, poverty or wealth, beauty or loss of beauty, success or failure, are you willing to love her, comfort her, respect her, and protect her? And are you willing to remain loyal to her throughout your lives?
Answer: I do.
(Full name), are you willing to take (Full name) as your husband and live with Him in the holy covenant of marriage? Regardless of illness or health, poverty or wealth, beauty or eclipse, prosperity or frustration, are you willing to love him, comfort him, respect him, and protect him? And are you willing to remain loyal to Him throughout your lives?
Answer: I do.
Please note that if you adopt this modified marriage contract question and answer, you should pay attention to choosing the appropriate marriage vows to avoid duplication. (The first category of the vow part)
Canadian wedding customs
Canada is a multi-ethnic country, with English, French, Indians, Eskimos, Chinese and a small number of European and American people. Immigration from Asian countries. These ethnic groups have their own traditional habits and customs, which are also reflected in weddings, making Canada a country with colorful wedding customs.
Shopping
Most of the British and French residents in Canada believe in Catholicism or Christianity, and their wedding customs have many similarities with Western Christian countries. Most young Canadians attach great importance to weddings. They always strive to make weddings grand, colorful, and memorable. They usually start preparations several months or even a year before the wedding. In recent years, Canadian government departments at all levels have established a network of marriage consultation agencies across the country. Men and women preparing for weddings can go to shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and even city halls for wedding shopping consultation. This consultation service is free. If the inquirer is satisfied, he or she can select items on the spot under the guidance of the shopping guide, with free door-to-door delivery service. Wedding supplies fairs are held every year in various places, which are very lively.
Floats
Canadian young men and women like to hold weddings from May to September, especially in July, and the wedding ceremony is often held on Saturday. . During this period, every weekend, the melodious "Wedding March" was played from churches in urban and rural areas of Canada from morning to night. The floats riding in the bride and groom drove slowly. The onlookers responded with warm applause and laughter, and the passing vehicles honked their horns. Congratulations were expressed, and everyone everywhere was immersed in a jubilant atmosphere. Since many men and women choose to hold weddings at the same time, the church is extremely busy, so all preparations must be made three or four months before the wedding. Canadians love flowers, and the flowers at their weddings are very particular. Churches, banquet halls, and new houses are all decorated with roses, orchids, and lilies. They are colorful and fragrant, so purchasing flowers is also an important matter.
The wedding ceremony is held in the church, and the content of the ceremony is generally similar to that in many Western countries. Among them, the rings given to each other by Canadian newlyweds are engraved with their initials and wedding date on the inside. Both parties regard them as treasures and keep them as permanent souvenirs. After the church ceremony, the newlyweds take a colorfully decorated float for a walk along the bustling area, and then go to a scenic park or scenic spot to take newlywed photos.
Canadian wedding banquets are usually held in the evening. There is an informal reception first, followed by a formal cold dinner and hot meal. The atmosphere is warm and the scene is grand. Canadian newlyweds also have the habit of traveling on honeymoon after marriage. Since Canada has a long winter and good economic conditions, many people like to go to the Caribbean islands and Florida in the United States for vacation to enjoy the sun, beach and waves. Those with low incomes often visit domestic scenic spots, such as the Laurentian Mountains in Quebec, Banx in the Rocky Mountains, and Lake Louise.
Chief
Canadian Indian weddings have strong ethnic colors. The wedding venue is mostly held in a public building in an Indian settlement, usually a larger wooden house. During the wedding, relatives, friends, neighbors, and village residents came to the wooden house one after another. Everyone sat on the ground and exchanged greetings. Men, women, old and young wear national costumes with novel styles and bright colors.
Although Indians have a cheerful temperament, they are very quiet at weddings, and even when they speak, they are soft-spoken.
The host of the wedding was the chief and two elders. When they came to the scene, everyone in the audience saluted them to show their respect. The chief is dressed in national costume, and the tall feathers on his head that symbolize authority are particularly eye-catching. The chief sat down in the center of the hall, and the two elders sat on the left and right of the chief. They were the oldest people in the local area, and their gray-white hair was tied into long braids hanging on their shoulders. The bride and groom, dressed in white deerskin traditional costumes, knelt and sat opposite the chief. Adult men sit around the chief, elders, bridegroom and bride, and women and children sit around the men, with knives, forks, and plates and bowls placed in front of each person.
At the beginning of the ceremony, the chief faced the air and raised his hands, and the whole place was silent. He lit the wormwood, and as a plume of green smoke with strong fragrance rose, the chief prayed to the gods in the national language and blessed the newlyweds. After the chief finished speaking, the elders on the left and right sang while speaking, and the singing was bold and rough. After praying, the chief took a long-barreled pipe from his body, lit it on the mugwort, held the pipe flat in front of his chest, turned it around from left to right, put it into his mouth and took a few puffs. Then, hand the pipe to the elder on the left. The elder will do it as the chief did and then hand it to the elder on the right, and then pass it on to the groom, bride, and guests. According to the traditional customs of the Indians, the pipe symbolizes peace and smoking expresses friendship. After everyone present had smoked, the four young men brought a large bucket of soup. The bride and groom first served a bowl to each of the chief and elders. The chief then divided the soup into five or six small buckets. , and then distributed to everyone present. According to the traditional customs of the Indians, the groom should try to hunt a moose before the wedding, use the venison and wild rice to make soup, and share it with everyone at the wedding. According to ancient customs, Indians should also eat roasted bison when eating tortillas at weddings. However, today's bison has become a protected animal, so many people use American "Kentucky Fried Chicken" instead of roasted bison at weddings. In this way, Indian weddings not only maintain the traditional habits of their own nation, but are also influenced by Western culture. At the end of the wedding banquet, the chiefs and elders left, and people came to an open space to dance the traditional Indian sun dance to the sound of cheerful drums all night long.
Bride-robbing
The Eskimos living in northern Canada still practice the ancient custom of "bring-robbing". Eskimos pay attention to sincere feelings and do not pay attention to the formality of marriage. When a young man and woman fall in love, and it develops to a certain extent, the man builds a house for the woman’s family or gives her a set of clothes to keep out the cold, and the woman’s family members move into the house or she puts on clothes, the marriage relationship is confirmed. . Eskimo weddings are often held in the middle of winter, because during this time heavy snows close the door, making it impossible to go fishing or hunting. On the day of the wedding, the man secretly hid near the woman's house and "snatched" the girl whenever he had the chance. The girl naturally knew that the young man was freezing outside. In order to test his loyalty, she deliberately stayed in the inner room to make it difficult for him to "rob" him. Smart young men always use strategies to lure girls out of the house to achieve the purpose of "robbing" them. If the wedding is held in the summer, the young man can sneak into the girl's house and drag the girl out. The girl will pretend not to obey, and the family will turn a blind eye. Finally, the girl's shouts will slowly disappear into the distance. Eskimo weddings are extremely simple. The groom and groom bow to family elders, parents, brothers, relatives and friends, etc. Everyone eats a meal of fish and meat, drinks a bowl of fish soup, and dances to their heart's content. The wedding is over and the guests leave.