A few months ago I attended my third Amish wedding. This one was for a granddaughter of “Mrs. R.,” whom I talked about in another post, and that's how I got my invitation. I’ve watched the happy bride (and her busy mother) get ready for this event all spring, and I looked forward to the big day!
An Amish wedding starts out with a regular Amish church
service, which lasts about three hours.
Things began at 9 a.m. in the basement of the farm next door, which is
the home of one of the bride’s aunts. (This
is where they hold church whenever it’s their turn to host it—about twice a
year.)
The women sat on half a dozen benches on the right side of
the entrance. The men and older boys sat
on benches on the left side. The young unmarried girls, along with the half
dozen “English” guests such as myself, sat on the third side. The ministers sat
in the center, with the couple and their two pairs of attendants. One of the highlights of the service was the
fact that the bride’s father was one of the two ministers who preached.
At about noon the regular service ended and the bride,
groom, and their four attendants (or as they say, “witnesses”) stepped forward. The bishop for their church district
performed the short ceremony; only Amish bishops are allowed to perform Amish weddings.
Now the guests made their way from the wedding farm to the farm
house next door, by way of a wood-chip path that had been laid down between the
farms, just for the occasion.
The wedding dinner (actually a series of meals over the
course of the of day) took place at the farm of the bride’s parents, shown below. I was there for the first meal, which happened
about 1:00 in a large building on the farm.
The bridal party sat on a raised table under a canopy of flowers. The ten pairs of servers chosen by the couple
served the food—being chosen as a wedding server is an honor. There was a large tent set up nearby for the work
of the cooks, and a third tent for the gifts.
I left after the meal, but Amish wedding celebrations last
all day. There was a second meal sitting
for those who weren’t invited to the ceremony due to lack of space; then a
third sitting for the cooks and servers; then later in the day, the opening of gifts
in a special tent; then in the evening, another meal sitting for the young unmarried
people. At many weddings, a game of
volleyball occupies the teens in the afternoon, as the younger kids run around
and play.
The wedding season ends about now (late October). By the time I got around to writing this, the
new couple are settled in their new home and, I hope, living Happily Ever
After!