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EveryShaadi

Protestant and Anglican wedding traditions

Protestant and Anglican weddings are a wide family.

Protestant and Anglican weddings are a wide family. Most do not count marriage as a sacrament but as a holy estate, and the services are usually in the local language, built around vows, readings and a blessing. Many Western wedding customs, such as the white dress and the aisle, are shaped by this tradition.

Anglican and Lutheran forms

The Church of England wedding follows the Book of Common Prayer or Common Worship. It includes the declaration, the vows and the giving of the ring with the words, with this ring I thee wed. In Lutheran churches in Germany and Scandinavia the service includes a blessing and an address, and in Sweden the couple may enter together. Banns are read in Church of England parishes on three Sundays before.

Free and Reformed churches

Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian and Pentecostal weddings vary, from formal to joyful. In the African American church the jumping of the broom is often added as a heritage custom with roots in slavery. African churches may include long worship, offerings and cultural rites such as lobola alongside the service. Quakers, Mennonites and the Amish have their own forms, from silence to plain dress.

Change

Many Protestant churches bless civil unions and some marry same-sex couples, including the Church of Sweden, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Canada, while others do not. This is a live debate within the family of churches, and the pages say so.

About this page

Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Background on Protestant and Anglican (faith). Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindRiteVowBetrothalGift customAttireAdornmentPerformanceFeast customBlessingPlayFamily roleSettingModern
StageFinding a matchEngagement and betrothalThe weeks beforeThe eveProcession and arrivalThe ceremonyThe wedding feastReception, dance and giftsAfter the wedding
🇪🇸 Spain and 4 moreMantilla A lace or silk veil worn over the head and shoulders by women in Spain and Latin AmericaAttire · The weeks before 🇩🇪 Hanover, Germany and 5 moreBridal crownBrautkrone A headdress worn by brides in Central and Northern Europe to symbolize purity and status.Attire · The ceremony 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreWhite wedding A formal Western ceremony marked by a white bridal gown and traditional Christian rituals.Attire · Engagement and betrothal 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreWedding ring A metal circle worn on the finger to show that a person is married.Attire · Engagement and betrothal 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreCare cloth A linen or silk cloth held over the heads of a bride and groom during a Christian wedding blessing.Attire · The ceremony 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreRing fingerdigitus annularis The fourth digit of the hand where wedding and engagement rings are traditionally worn.Attire · The ceremony 🇩🇪 GermanyBollenhut A straw hat with woolen pompoms worn by women in specific Black Forest villages as part of their traditional dress.Attire · The weeks before 🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreLenten veilFastentuch A large painted or embroidered canvas that covers the altar during Lent to create a period of visual penance.Rite · The weeks before

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly EveryShaadi

Every week: one wedding tradition from somewhere new, the wedding days coming up around the world, and one idea explained.