Which side should the bride stand at the registry office?
During the official registration of marriage, the groom must hold the bride to the left , that is, closer to his heart. According to folk traditions, the bride is on the left so that the groom's right hand remains free to protect his beloved.
In the Soviet Union, when registering a marriage, registry office workers placed the groom on the left and the bride on the right. An exception to the rule was considered only if the groom was a military man. In this case, the bride was supposed to be on the left and the groom on the right so that he could salute with his right hand.
Customs of Western Culture
It is customary overseas that newlyweds go to the wedding ceremony in different cars. They have this due to their traditions and signs:
- In Western culture, there is a sign that the groom should not see the bride in a wedding dress before the wedding. There, the couple does not enter the church together, and the groom waits for his bride already standing at the altar.
- The father leads the bride to the altar, and at the end of the journey he hands his daughter into the hands of her future husband.
- The wedding ceremony and celebration often take place in the house (yard) where the bride lives. Therefore, they do not need to go anywhere.
- It is believed that this gives the newlyweds the last opportunity to think carefully about everything and make sure that their decision is right (or wrong).
READ ALSO: Procedure for registering a marriage at the registry office
Which tradition to choose
The fact that newlyweds go to the registry office in the same car or in different ones does not in any way affect their future life and happiness. But couples think about this issue not only because of practicality and money, but also because of superstitions (they also take into account who should ride in what car, where to overtake and who should get to the registry office first). Although the content of not a single sign states what threatens the newlyweds if they violate the people’s “injunction.”
Those who do not believe in signs, when making a decision, can be guided by the proximity of traditions and cultures, practicality or the desire to impress guests.
Which side should you stand on when getting married?
According to church canons, at a wedding the bride is on the left side of the groom , which is also due to the corresponding location of the icons in the temple. To the left of the altar is the image of the Virgin Mary, and to the right of the altar is the image of Jesus Christ. Thus, at a wedding, the bride and witness stand on the left half of the temple, and the groom and witness stand on the right half. This position of the bride during the ceremony can be observed in ancient paintings dedicated to the wedding, for example, in the painting by Ilya Repin “The Wedding of Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna.”
Sacred meaning
Esotericists endow the wedding ceremony with sacred meaning and believe that it cannot be violated even out of ignorance. After all, this can bring trouble to a young family.
They argue that a woman should stand and sit on the left side of a man. There are several arguments in support of this version. One of them is connected with a clasp. Buttons on women's clothing are located from right to left, on men's clothing - from left to right. This means that the woman should be positioned on the left hand.
READ ALSO: How to attract happiness into your life
The second argument in favor is that the man’s heart now belongs to his chosen one. And the left side is considered the heart side.
Where should parents and witnesses stand?
During the wedding, the groom's parents should be to the right of the newlyweds, and the bride's parents should be to the left. The witness is positioned to the right of the groom, and the witness is positioned to the left of the bride. Sometimes at a wedding you can see how the witness is placed next to the bride, and the bridesmaid is placed next to the groom. This fundamentally contradicts the historically established Slavic strictness of morals and chastity. According to ancient canons, the task of the witness (the ancient name is the best man) is to protect the couple during the ceremony and vouch for them to higher powers that they will preserve the integrity of the family. For this reason, only decent family men were taken as best men. In case of danger, it is the best man who must cover the couple, and for this he must be on the right hand of the groom.
How to seat guests for a wedding?
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Seating guests at a wedding correctly is one of the important aspects of the celebration. A clearly planned seating arrangement will make the holiday organized and coherent, and will help guests quickly find and take their place. Read about what nuances should be taken into account when organizing a banquet in our material.
Which side is the groom and which side is the bride?
According to ancient wedding traditions, the groom should sit to the left of the bride - just as any man, according to the rules of etiquette, should walk to the left of his companion on the street or at a social event.
Where are the parents and witnesses sitting?
Parents are considered the most honored guests at a wedding, therefore, with European seating, their table should be closest to the podium and in the most “advantageous” place. In the classic seating arrangement, parents also sit in the center of the table, immediately after the witnesses. It is customary to seat the best friends of newlyweds on the right hand of the bride and on the left hand of the groom, respectively. If you want your parents to get to know each other better at the wedding, you can specially seat them all at a separate “parents’ table.” If there is no such goal, it is better to plant them with other relatives and close family friends.
Where relatives, friends and colleagues sit
If many relatives from the bride and groom are invited to the wedding, with European seating it would be logical to make separate tables for members of each family. If there are not many relatives, you can combine them into one table - this will be an excellent opportunity for the parents of the newlyweds to get to know each other better. As for friends and colleagues, it is advisable to sit people you know next to each other so that they can relax and chat with each other without hesitation. It is also worth paying attention to those who come to the wedding with children, and seat the little guests nearby - this way they will get to know each other faster and will not feel out of place at the adult party. If there are a lot of children at the event, then it is best to seat them at a separate table and order them a separate menu, different from the treats for adult guests.
How to quickly and conveniently find your seat
To ensure that guests are seated quickly and orderly, it is a good idea to leave a card with the person's name next to each chair. It can be decorated with a postcard placed in a house, placed on a plate or in an empty glass of champagne. If you're having a big wedding with over a hundred guests, you can indicate the person's place on the invitation by marking them with a check mark on the diagram.
Seating plan
Without a seating plan, place cards will have no meaning. The plan must be drawn up in advance: it will, first of all, depend on the type of table arrangement - the letter T, the letter P, the letter Sh, European seating, herringbone, and so on - as well as on who the guests of the bride and groom are, how much they know each other and how many people from one side and the other are invited to the wedding.
General rules
It is customary to seat guests alternating men and women. However, this rule has exceptions - for example, a small daughter who came to the wedding alone with her mother must be seated next to her. This also applies to any guest who came together with a person of the same sex, and does not know anyone else present: the convenience of the invitee in this case is more important, because sitting surrounded by only strangers can be uncomfortable. Ideally, everyone will sit between one close person and one new person - this way everyone will have the opportunity to get to know each other better. However, there is another option - to seat those invited “based on their interests”: school friends at one table, college friends at another, relatives at a third, colleagues at a fourth. What seating plan will you choose - one that will help guests get to know each other better or will give everyone the opportunity to communicate with someone they know well?
Why should young people stick together all day?
There is a sign that for married life to develop successfully, the bride should be to the left of the groom throughout the wedding celebration, but the next day the wife is located to the right. Moreover, the young people must stay together all the time so that not a single person can pass between them. The mother of the bride often takes on this role, protecting her daughter's happiness.
No matter how difficult it may be to follow these rules, do not forget that a wedding is not just a fun feast. This is a real sacred rite in which every little detail is important. Be attentive to each other and happy!
how the bride and groom sit at the table
The first seating option is when the bride and groom sit together at the table. Nowadays this seating arrangement is considered stylish and also the most comfortable. If you have several witnesses, and the size of the hall does not allow for a large table, then it is better to sit together so as not to single out any of your friends. Such a table often has a large amount of decor and looks luxurious and cozy.
The second option is to make a common table. This seating arrangement looks like a long table, at which not only the witnesses can sit with the bride and groom, but also all the loved ones they would like to see nearby: children, parents, other relatives and loved ones. The table has a neat decor that emphasizes the style of the wedding. Also in this case, it is better to highlight the chairs of the bride and groom by attaching decor or signs to them with the inscription “Groom” and “Bride”.
The third option is less popular among couples. Parents sit next to the bride and groom, and after the parents, witnesses can sit if they wish. This seating arrangement expresses the couple's respect for their parents, who are most important at such a celebration.
How to stand during a wedding?
The sacrament of a wedding in terms of the location of the newlyweds is no different from the ceremony in the registry office - the bride stands to the left of the groom. This order is based on the canons of the Orthodox Church and the icons with which young people are blessed and crowned. The image of the Mother of God is located on the left, the image of Jesus Christ is on the right.
Man and woman become the same way. The witnesses stand in exactly the same way: the friend is behind the groom, the girlfriend is behind the bride, but a little further away. This is logical, because each witness holds the wedding crown over the head of the spouse of the same sex. Remembering the location is not difficult.
What interesting wedding traditions do you know?
