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Amish weddings are very different and so important to their lifestyle. They are so different from the American wedding festivities we are used to attending.

The Amish lifestyle is found in about 30 States of the Union with most found in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.

Since family values are of prominent importance to the Amish it is vital that a single person choose as best they can, a perfect mate.

The idea of divorce is just not heard of and as a result engagement and vows of marriage are taken in a very serious manner.

Amish children are allowed to start dating at 16 years old and in order to have an authentic Amish wedding they must both be members of the Amish church.

At the time a man proposes to a woman he does not give her an engagement ring, but something for the house such as a set of dishes, a clock or something like that.

The engagement is usually announced in late summer no matter when they actually become engaged.

It is the custom of a church deacon to announce all the names of all brides-to-be

on a special day in October that the church sets aside for this very thing.

Planning for an Amish Wedding

Blue is most often the color of the wedding dress and purple is another somewhat popular choice and you might say white is never chosen. This is because the wedding dress becomes a dress she will wear in her everyday functions after the ceremony.

Wedding plans move rather quickly after the announcement of the engagement and most often are held in the bride’s home on a Tuesday or Thursday after harvest in October and November.

Amish mother’s of the bride host the reception and it can be for up to 400 or more as the entire Amish church is invited.

Weddings are a big occasion with not very much time to prepare so the bride is enlisted to help her mother and other female relatives in the preparing for the event.

The Amish wedding is quite simple with no lavish decorations or such. There are usually no flowers and yet there is a certain elegance about them in their own unique way,

On the wedding day those involved rise very early so the regular chores can be done and the wedding itself can start before 9 A.M.

It is a lengthy ceremony often taking up to three hours. It includes singing of hymns and a sermon.

The couple spend a good deal of the time secluded with a religious official who counsel them on many things.

The Amish Wedding Reception

This is more like a regular western event as they socialize and spend time with all their guests,

At the head table places are set for the bridal party and their attendants and could include 20 persons.

There are napkins with the couple’s name on them and pens with the date, along with other wedding favors.

A food tent is often set up because of the large number of guests attending. As you can imagine they would need portable stoves and large areas for food preparation and such.

The food would usually be something like broasted or fried chicken (hingleflesh) along with mashed potatoes (grumbatta) and gravy, a celery casserole is a must and other kinds of vegetables are included also.

An Amish wedding cake is most often a date and nut cake and decorated with a lovely and simply frosting and embellishments. It is not usually a many tiered cake as we are used to seeing.

Many of the couples after the meal will take baskets of candy and go around greeting the guests and passing out the candy.

The wedding gifts that have been brought are then opened and the guests begin to take their leave.

After the Reception

Typically the newly weds will sleep their first night in the parent’s home and in some groups the couple will rise on the first morning of their marriage and wash all their clothes together.

The honeymoon typically will be a visit to all their newly acquired relatives and yes, eventually they will set up their own home and begin a family but it is not unusual for them to live with parents while they work and save money for their own home.

I hope you found this look into the Amish wedding traditions as interesting as I did writing about their wonderful lifestyle and how much they value family and friends.

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Source by Tiffany Cole