TODAY'S TOPIC IS

"THE WHITE WEDDING DAY"

INTRODUCTION

There are so many things we should try to consider if we are talking about the real white wedding day. We should reconsider the real meaning of white wedding day.

White wedding is a traditional formal or semi-formal wedding originating in Great Britain.
The name comes from the white coloured wedding gown, this was popular in the Victorian era, after the Queen wore a white lace dress during her wedding ceremony.
Wedding is biblical, but white wedding is not biblical.

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WEDDING IN THE BIBLE TIME:

Wedding has been an ancient ceremony. Let us see how it was done in the Bible times. We can learn many things concerning wedding if we carefully read through this post:

1. Wedding is a non religious activity if one removes that "blessing" which is pronounced over the couple:

"Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies" Gen. 24: 60).

Marriage then to the Jews, even today is still "a drawing together", an acceptance of, and legal contract".

2. Wedding involves special dressing or decoration:

· The bride is dressed up as queen (Rev. 21:2).
· She is bathed, her hairs braided with precious stones as the family can buy or borrow (Psalms 45:14-15 Isaiah 61:10; Ezek. 16:11-12)
· Her maid (i.e. the bridesmaid) who dresses her move and stays with her.
· The bridegroom is dressed in fine jewelry (Isaiah 6:10).
· He is accompanied with his best man (i.e. the friend of the bridegroom) John 3:29. The wedding decoration is of a remarkable importance (Jeremiah 2:32). The couple dressed and acted as a king and a queen.

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3. Wedding is very important to the Jewish culture:

The bridegroom sent out from his home to collect his wife in her parents' home. The bride wore a veil from that time to a certain period. At a certain point, the veil is taken off and hung on the shoulder of the man with a declaration "the government shall be upon his shoulders".

There will be a procession set out from the bride's home to the couple's home normally; such procession is done in the night. The dark road would be lighted with oil lamps held by wedding guests (Matt. 25:1-13). If you carefully read the above referred verses about the story of the ten virgins: you will understand that the story indicated that the couple came later than expected.

So the oil in the lamps began to run down. Only those who did refill their lamps welcomed the bride and her bridegroom. The couple is welcomed with joyous songs and dances along the way (Jer. 16:9). Sometimes the bride joins the dance (songs 6:13).

4. The wedding feast continues when the couple reached home.

They will sit under a canopy where they will preside over a feast in which drinking and eating are enjoyed, (Song 2:4). It was in this type of feast that Jesus attended and provided miraculously a hundred and twenty gallons of better wine for the guests. (John 2:6-10).

The wedding festivities last for seven days (Judges 14:12), or even longer the guests would be hanging around to witness the consummation of the marriage (Gen. 29:22-23).

BLOOD STAINED BEDSPREAD

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The bloodstained bedspread were shown to demonstrate the virginity of the bride (Deut. 22:13-21). In the case of Leah, her veil was not removed until after the consummation. Jacob did not know that it was Leah until the following day light (Gen. 29:23)

People witnessed the consummation of Jacob with Leah. I do not know whether there was a bloodstained bedspread as evidence of her virginity since the Bible is silent.

During the seven days festivity, blessings of God were invoked on the couple. Perhaps, the wedding at Cana attracted Jesus for the purpose -of invoking God's blessings on the couple (John 2:2}.

5. With the wealthy families, the guests will be actually provided with wedding clothes" (Matt. 22:12).

This enumeration will tell us that wedding feast had not been a cheap festival. It also tells us that wedding does not take the same expensive format; rather it depends on cash of the family involved.

CONCLUSION

Let us summarize this post here to avoid the it being so lengthy. I urge you to continue in the next post on the series. The next post will talk about Types of wedding ceremonies.

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