Christian Wedding Symbols

During a marriage ceremony and reception, there are a number of familiar Christian wedding symbols to be seen.

What do they mean? Why do we do certain things at weddings? Did you ever think about it? Let's take a look at a few of these....

Here in the United States, most brides wear a white or off-white dress to get married. Many years ago, the color white symbolized the sexual purity of the bride. Back then, if you had children out of wedlock, or if you were pregnant (that is if anyone found out), or if this was a second marriage, you could not wear white at your own wedding.

Now, white is a color for all brides to wear. Designers even make maternity wedding gowns. If this is your second or third marriage, you can still wear white.

Why does the bride wear a veil? When I was a little girl, my mother took her bridal veil out of her hope chest and showed it to me. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Back in the 1950's when she got married, the veil was used to cover the bride's head and face. Then when it was time to kiss the bride at the end of the ceremony, the groom would lift the covering from the bride's face for everyone to see as he kissed her.

My mother told me that wearing the veil meant that the bride was innocent and modest. In other words, the bride was a virgin with a good reputation.

Now, just like with the white dress, the veil is a romantic and pretty part of the bride's outfit and most brides wear some form of a veil. Some brides wear a headpiece such as a tiara or flowers or a beautiful clip in their hair instead of a veil.

As a pastor, my husband performed quite a few weddings and most of the couples he married already had one or two babies before they made it to the altar. Almost all of them wore white wedding gowns and veils. Some were marrying for the second time. What a big change from the 1950's to the 21st century!

The wedding ring is perhaps the most familiar of Christian wedding symbols. Rings actually come from pagan rituals performed many centuries ago. Men would braid grass together and wrap it around the ankles and wrists of their brides. Why?

They believed the ankle and wrist bracelets would stop the bride's spirit from leaving her body. Interesting, huh?

Today, the ring is a symbol of never-ending love and fidelity. Interestingly, even in the church, married people cheat with other married people.

The ring means nothing to some. Being a pastor's wife has made me privy to the private lives of many in our congregations who have come to my husband and/or myself, confessing of affairs they have had or are currently having with other members in the churches we have been in. At first, it was totally shocking to me. Now I have come to expect it and that is so sad.

And why do we wear the ring on the third finger of the left hand? Way back when, people believed that the ring finger of the left hand was connected by a vein to the person's heart. Putting the ring on that finger gave it a mystical power to keep a marriage and love intact.

Many of our Christian wedding symbols actually started in the ancient world, long before Christianity began, like throwing rice. This custom came from Asia. Rice symbolized fertility. It was thrown at newly married couples thousands of years ago to insure that they would have many children.

Wedding bells are popular as Christian wedding symbols. You often see silver bells hung up as wedding shower and reception decorations. Here is where this wedding symbol came from.

In England, out in the country, when the happy couple walk into the church together to get married, the church bells chime a tune. After the wedding, as the couple leave the church, the bells chime out a different tune. The bells were once thought to keep evil spirits away.

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