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.
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.
🇪🇸 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
🇬🇷 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 2 moreWhite wedding
A formal Western ceremony marked by a white bridal gown and traditional Christian rituals.Attire · Engagement and betrothal
🇫🇮 Finland and 5 moreBanns of marriagekuulutukset avioliittoon (Finnish)
The public announcement of an impending marriage in church or town hall to allow for legal objections.Vow · The weeks before
🇮🇸 IcelandIcelandic weddings
A blend of church ceremony and multi-day feasting that marks the union of two people in Iceland.Feast custom · The ceremony
🇷🇺 RussiaLoving cup
A large shared drinking vessel with two handles used in Christian rites and weddingsFeast custom · The wedding feast
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 2 moreQuaker wedding
A silent ceremony where Friends witness each other's vows without clergy or rigid rituals.Rite · The weeks before
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreBridal ChorusTreulich geführt
The Wagner opera march played for the bride's entrance at Western weddings.Performance · Procession and arrival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 3 moreMarriage bond
A financial guarantee posted to prove a couple was legally free to marry before the ceremony took place.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇸🇪 Stockholm, SwedenSame-sex marriage in SwedenSambolydning i Sverige
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Sweden since 2009.Modern · 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
🇩🇪 Hanover, Germany and 5 moreBridal crownBrautkrone
A headdress worn by brides in Central and Northern Europe to symbolize purity and status.Attire · The ceremony
🇧🇪 Kapellen, BelgiumSame-sex marriage in Belgiumhomohuwelijk / mariage homosexuel
The legal union of two people of the same sex, available since June 2003.Modern · 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
🇩🇰 Copenhagen, Denmark and 1 moreSame-sex marriage in Denmarkægteskab mellem personer af samme køn
The legal recognition of same-sex unions in Denmark since 2012, following a pioneering partnership law from 1989.Modern · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in the Isle of Man
The legalisation of same-sex marriage on the Isle of Man, following civil partnerships since 2011.Vow · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in Guernsey
The legal recognition of same-sex unions across the Bailiwick of Guernsey and its dependencies.Modern · The ceremony
🇬🇧 United KingdomSame-sex marriage in Jersey
The legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the Crown Dependency of Jersey since 2018.Modern · The ceremony
🇮🇪 Dublin, IrelandSchulze Registers
The surviving records of secret marriages performed by a Lutheran minister in 19th century Dublin.Vow · The ceremony
🇲🇨 Monaco, MonacoRecognition of same-sex unions in Monacocontrat de vie commune; union civile
Legal frameworks for same-sex couples in Monaco, from cohabitation agreements to ongoing civil union debates.Modern · Engagement and betrothal
🇱🇺 Luxembourg City, LuxembourgSame-sex marriage in Luxembourg
The civil union that allows two people of the same sex to wed in Luxembourg since 2015.Modern · The ceremony
🇬🇧 London, United Kingdom and 1 moreSame-sex marriage in Akrotiri and Dhekelia
Legal same-sex weddings for British military personnel on the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus.Modern · The ceremony
🇩🇪 GermanyBeilager
A public ceremony in German-speaking lands where witnesses observed the couple entering the marriage bed to finalize theRite · The ceremony
🇩🇪 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
🇵🇱 Poland and 3 moreŚmigus-Dyngus
The Easter Monday water splashing and willow whipping tradition of Central EuropeRite · The weeks before
🇬🇧 United KingdomWassailing
Singing and drinking to bless trees or homes during the Christmas seasonFeast custom · The weeks before
🇩🇪 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 1 moreLaternelaufen
A lantern procession held by children in Germany and Austria on St. Martin's Day to celebrate sharing and light.Blessing · The weeks before
🇳🇱 NetherlandsSame-sex marriage in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
The legalisation of same-sex unions on the Dutch Caribbean islands following their integration into the Netherlands.Modern · The ceremony
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Mantilla: Museu Valencià d'Etnologia, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bridal crown: Daderot, CC0, source
- Śmigus-Dyngus: Nationwide Specialty Co., Arlington, Texas -- In Buffalo, N.Y., Stanle, CC BY 3.0, source
- Wassailing: Joss Smithson, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Interfaith marriage in Christianity: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Bridal Chorus: Pierre Petit, Public domain, source
- Same-sex marriage in Denmark: PavelStotsko, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lenten veil: Plutowiki, CC0, source
- Laternelaufen: Heinrich Hermanns, Public domain, source
- Ring finger: RAPMOODDE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bollenhut: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Banns of marriage: After William Hemsley, CC0, source
- Wedding ring: CLW at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Care cloth: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Marriage bond: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Loving cup: Rhodian at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Same-sex marriage in Belgium: flamenc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source