Wedding Celebrations
Lesson: Religious education
Class: Year 1 & 2 Class information page Year: 2022 - 2023
Wedding Celebrations in Year 1/2
On Tuesday 11th October, Year 1 and 2 attended 3 different wedding ceremonies in one afternoon: a Christian ceremony, a Muslim ceremony and a Humanist ceremony.
We began in the church. Two of our Year 2s were ushers and ensured that the rest of the children knew where to sit depending on whether they were friends or family of the bride or groom.
Once seated, the bride walked down the aisle to the wedding march. She was accompanied by her father and two bridesmaids whilst her groom, along with his best man, waited patiently at the front of the church.
Vows were made, rings were exchanged and the register was signed. The proud father gave his daughter’s hand to her new husband, 1 Corinthians 13:4 was read from the lectern and a song was sung. The bride and groom then exited the church, followed by their friends and family.
Back at school, the children were seated ready for a Muslim wedding celebration with boys on one side of the room and girls on the other to show that this is what happens in some Muslim weddings. The parents of the bride and groom met to discuss the amount of money that the groom was going to give his bride as a wedding present and once this was agreed, the wedding took place.
The bride and groom sat on chairs as in some Muslim cultures they sit on a type of throne or platform so they can be seen by all the guests. Vows were made: these were suggested by other members of Year 1 and 2 and included ‘I will always love you’ and ‘I promise to always look after you’. There was a reading from the Qur’an, the register was signed and the Imam pronounced the couple as husband and wife. The ceremony ended with a prayer and then the couple headed off with their family for the second part of the wedding where performances, speeches and feasting happen.
After our Muslim ceremony, we headed outside for a Humanist wedding celebration. The bride and groom chose where they wanted to get married and they chose someone who they knew to be the celebrant (the person who carries out the wedding).
There was a welcome from the celebrant, a reading from ‘Us Two’ by A.A Milne and then the bride and groom made their own personal promises to each other. They exchanged rings and signed the wedding certificate and then they were presented as husband and wife by the celebrant.
What a fun afternoon we had.