The Sacraments: An Interdisciplinary and Interactive Study
VARIATIONS IN MARRIAGE
Marriage rituals can be found in every culture and society, and Christian weddings have been around for a long time. All churches and denominations offer a religious wedding ceremony, although only the Catholic, Orthodox and Episcopal churches call it a sacrament. (In traditional theology, the relationship between the spouses is also called a sacrament.)
Catholics can marry in a simple wedding ceremony, but most choose to celebrate their marriage with a special eucharistic liturgy called a nuptial mass. Church rules about the reception of communion make this option somewhat problematic if a spouse or guests are not Catholic, so couples facing this difficulty have to find a way through it.
The official church witness at a Catholic wedding is customarily a priest, but if a priest cannot be present, a deacon is also able to officiate. In an interfaith marriage, a representative from another church or religion can be invited to witness and bless the marriage as well.
The following videos show Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant weddings. Each listing contains a descriptive heading, two lines of information, and a link to the video.
Catholic Church Wedding Ceremony Highlights (9 min.)
Large wedding party, posted July 16, 2008
(City and state not listed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVI0YaPUw40&feature=related
NICO & TINA Wedding Day (10 min.)
Catholic wedding ceremony and nuptial mass on July 1, 2007
St. Anthony of
Catholic Wedding of Jamie & Sonya
Traditional wedding ceremony and nuptial mass posted September 2007
Assumption Catholic Church (location not listed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq4FAEP2s48 (Part 1 – 10 min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Q4WmALONY (Part 2 – 9 min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw5nKZNi48U (Part 3 – 10 min.)
Catholic-Hindu Wedding in
Unusual combination of two religious ceremonies posted September 2008
(Names of church and park not listed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpqQlRG1zmk
Malankara Syrian Catholic Wedding (7 min.)
Excerpt of ceremony performed by Fr. George Jacob Kizhakkathil
on 27 December 2006 at St. Mary's Cathedral, Punnamoodu, India
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZE7TsjBdLA
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Exchange of vows in Episcopalian ceremony in March 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3dxkf1NsY0
Wedding Vows (8 min.)
Exchange of vows by Anthony and Shayne, posted September 24, 2006
Appears to be in an Episcopal church (location not listed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ab58UT8XTk
Russian Orthodox Wedding in
Traditional religious ceremony posted in November 2006
Undisclosed church in
Roxana and Kendry Orthodox Wedding (6 min.)
Central part of the marriage ceremony
Posted in January 2009 (church and location not listed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCz6G4dp_EE
Syrian Orthodox Wedding (8 min.)
Marriage ceremony in the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox tradition
Posted in April 2008 (location not listed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns0C_rBTY6o
Joanna & Gregg Wedding Ceremony (8 min.)
Wedding vows and exchange of rings before a Protestant minister
February 9, 2007 in Portland, Oregon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LTYy_PRKig
Indian Christian Wedding in NY (4 min.)
Cultural preliminaries, Protestant ceremony, and American reception
African Christian Wedding - What God Has Joined (10 min.)
Protestant ceremony posted in March 2008
(City and country not listed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnyDYDQGbQs
Religious Wedding Ceremony of the Prince of
Dutch Reformed ceremony on February 2, 2002
Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in
(Part 1 – 9 min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0ilu7yWG80&feature=PlayList&p=D41E04675B2DFD84&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=13
(Part 2 – 8 min.)
The Jewish Wedding Video (6 min.)
Orthodox Jewish wedding in Brooklyn, New York, on May 26, 2005
Shows preparations and reception as well as the ceremony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBthec4v30Q
Jewish Wedding Video (13 min.)
Conservative Jewish wedding in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2007
Shows preparations and reception as well as the ceremony
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2338336892662984334&ei=VEieS_XJLaf6qgK75JGDDQ&q=jewish+wedding+video&hl=en&client=firefox-a#
Diana & Ovidiu's civil marriage ceremony (8 min.)
Coventry Register Office in Coventry, England
Performed by a public official on January 23, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXBrldj9wrM
The Wedding Vows of Robert and Barbara Young (6 min.)
Secular wedding ceremony posted novembere 29, 2009
(Location not listed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESvlNUq1TLw
Additional YouTube, Google and Bing videos are available under the following subject listings:
Catholic Wedding, Religious Wedding, Christian Wedding, Orthodox Wedding, Anglican Wedding, Catholic Marriage, Christian Marriage, Orthodox Marriage, Anglican Wedding
Please send corrections and suggestions
to TheSacraments@Gmail.com.