There are scores of Roman Catholic wedding ceremonies taking place each year in many countries worldwide. Some traditions are still in practice today and date back several centuries, forming a vital link between the past, the present and undoubtedly, the future...

Roman Catholic wedding ceremonies run in accordance with the sacrament of marriage, punctuated at intervals by prayers, the singing of an assortment of hymns and the reading of selected pieces of scripture from the Bible. The congregation then focus all their attention on the bride and groom. According to church doctrine, a marriage is a sacred contract between two people, with vows of love, support and faithfulness being exchanged between the consenting couple before an ordained priest and two or more witnesses.

Once the vows have been exchanged, the priest will bless the rings, which symbolise the couple`s vow of fidelity to each other. The groom will then place the ring on the bride`s left thumb, index and middle finger in turn whilst saying the words, "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost". Sometimes the bride does not give the groom a ring, but nowadays it has become common practice that she places a ring on his left hand in exactly the same manner. Traditionally, the bride and groom are each required to light a candle to signify their lives apart as separate souls. They are then permitted to light a single candle, known as the `Unity Candle` - to signify the joining of two souls as one. The candle is then given to the couple for them to light on the day of each subsequent anniversary, to remind them of their vows and the sanctity of marriage.

An ancient and macabre superstition exists with regards to the bride`s candle and the groom`s candle. It is said that, if the groom`s candle should flicker and die before the elevation of the Host in the schedule of the ceremony, he will be the first of the two to die. On the other hand, if the bride`s candle should flicker and die after the elevation of the Host, she will be the one to die first.

This ceremony is generally followed by a Nuptial Mass, where the officiating priest reads scriptures that pertain to marriage. The bride receives a special blessing and the couple are urged to maintain, respect and strengthen their love for one another, to remain faithful and to fear God. In the Byzantine rite, it was traditional for the bride and groom to be `crowned` directly after the Nuptial Mass in an extremely somber ceremony.

In some instances, a couple will decide that they would like to renew their wedding vows. Roman Catholics have the opportunity to renew their wedding vows when they reach a milestone anniversary year, for example, their twenty-fifth anniversary, in ceremonies that differ from parish to parish. It is an achievement, especially nowadays, for a marriage to reach a double-digit milestone year, so the ceremony is the ideal way to recognise this great accomplishment and remind each other of the timeless bond they share.

Article source: LifeWorld