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.
🇰🇷 South Korea and 5 moreBlessing ceremony of the Unification ChurchHoly Marriage Blessing Ceremony (축복결혼식)
A large-scale marriage rededication or new union ceremony that engrafts couples into a sinless lineage.Rite · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreMarriage proposal
The moment one partner asks the other to marry them and marks the start of an engagement.Betrothal · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 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 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 States and 5 moreEngagement ring
A ring given to signify a formal agreement to future marriage.Adornment · Engagement and betrothal
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreInterfaith marriage
A union between spouses of different faiths, navigating legal and religious boundaries across the world.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreRing fingerdigitus annularis
The fourth digit of the hand where wedding and engagement rings are traditionally worn.Attire · The ceremony
🇺🇬 Uganda and 3 morePolygamy in Uganda
The legal practice of a man having multiple wives simultaneously in Uganda and neighboring nations.Family role · Engagement and betrothal
🇲🇨 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
🇰🇪 KenyaRecognition of same-sex unions in Kenya
The legal ban on gay marriage alongside traditional female-to-female unions that persist in some communities.Vow · Engagement and betrothal
🇿🇲 ZambiaPolygamy in Zambia
A legal form of marriage allowing one man to have multiple wives under customary law.Family role · Engagement and betrothal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Blessing ceremony of the Unification Church: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Interfaith marriage in Christianity: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Marriage proposal: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ring finger: RAPMOODDE, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wedding ring: CLW at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Engagement ring: Photo by Derek Ramsey ( Ram-Man ), CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Marriage bond: Unknown author, Public domain, source