British Wedding Traditions

British weddings are very lovely and memorable due to their prolonged traditions which have come into being since very ancient times. The rituals of British wedding had been reformed at the time of the English Reformation when the church laws had to undergo a thorough change. After 1549, marriages were allowed to be held inside the church.

In the Church of England, the father of the bride gives his daughter to the groom in front of the priest. The priest then asks the crowd in the church as to whether they have any objections to the marriage. If there are any objections, the disapprovals are allowed to be voiced. The bride and the groom are also given a chance to re think. Then the couple promises to love, honor, protect and be faithful to each other for the rest of their lives.

The ceremony proceeds with the groom putting the wedding ring on the bride's wedding finger, which is the third finger of the left hand. The priest hen announces the marriage in the eyes of god. After this the groom is allowed to kiss the bride. As the groom makes the promise and gives the ring to the bride, he has to say -

'I give you this ring
as a sign of our marriage.
With my body I honor you,
all that I am I give you,
and all that I have I share with you,
within the love of God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.'

The bride receives the ring and the minister declares them as husband and wife. If a couple decides to get married in a registry office they can do so. The ritual then becomes short and simple. The couple stands in front of a presiding registrar and then signs the register. There has to be at least two witnesses present.

Here are some Wedding Traditions performed around the world