Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
WCDT: 2392-2396 (25 February- 1 March, 2013) Weekly Comic Discussion Thread
MillionDollar Belt Sander:
--- Quote from: Loki on 01 Mar 2013, 07:06 ---As someone who has never been to a wedding, what does a (US-American) wedding traditionally entail?
--- End quote ---
Weddings come in all shapes and sizes ranging from elaborate rituals involving religion, to simply appearing before an official, signing papers in front of witnesses and that's it.
There is no right way or wrong way, it depends on the parties involved. Some folks want a huge production, others do not. The ones I've been to have been a good blending of religious function and celebration.
Is it cold in here?:
The style that's a cultural cliche, and still widely used, is a ceremony in a church with the groom's people on one side of the aisle, the bride's on the other. A young child scatters flowers down the aisle. Their religious denomination's standard wedding liturgy is read, the groom puts a ring on the bride, and their priest/pastor/minister/whatever pronounces them married.
Everything upthread that's been said about diversity is true.
Which brings up a book, "How to be a Perfect Stranger", which describes in detail how someone from another culture should attend a different culture or religion's ceremonies. "Should" in this context means being respectful, but without accidentally doing something that identifies with a religion other than the attendee's own. It also warns of possible surprises.
Redball:
The officiant may also say a few words in the sense of a short sermon. Both of my weddings were entirely traditional, including the music I cited above, except that at my second, we added our own readings.
Jewish and Christian weddings in my experience are witnessed are traditionally witnessed by respectfully quiet guests, as in today's comic. The two Hindu weddings I attended in India were witnessed, but by guests who sat, stood, chatted, while the ceremony continued somewhat ignored. The same thing happened at another religious ceremony, a coming-of-age "thread" ceremony of a young boy.
benji:
As someone who occasionally performs weddings, I can say that the law (in my state) requires that the wedding be witnessed by two people and that there must be some sort of ceremony that they can describe if asked to at a later date.
I insist that a wedding I perform must have at least three components: statement of purpose, consent, and pronouncement.
That is, I will start by saying what we're all doing there, if for no other reason then to make sure that everyone knows we've started, and so that the witnesses can't claim that they didn't know it was a wedding. I will ask both parties if they agree to be married. This may seem silly in this day and age, but there was a time when people were fairly regularly forced to get married against their will, and I think we need to still check in. And then I need to pronounce them married.
I usually strongly urge people to take some sort of vow, but it's not strictly necessary.
Everything else, processionals, prayers, readings, exchanges of rings, kissing, breaking glass, lighting candles, tying hands, jumping brooms or anything else you can invent is all purely optional.
ETA: what I came in to say, and forgot about, is that by my guidelines above, the only thing that seemed missing to me as consent of the two grooms, though perhaps that's implicit in the ring exchange.
Carl-E:
OK, there was an exchange. I only saw Henry putting on Maurice's ring, and missed that Henry had one on in the third panel (not in the second).
So there are some things we didn't see. Perhaps some words said. Clearly, though, not enough for Claire.
I remember a friend's wedding in the mid 80's, her dress was a victorianesque fantasy of ruffles, pearls, beadwork, etc, etc. with a train that was longer than she was tall.
As she came down the aisle, one of the other groomsmen whispered in my ear, "Look! It's the Queen Mary under full sail!"
Hard to keep a straight face. Fortunately, no one was looking at me...
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